


'Tis The Damn Season

by LostGeekMonkeyGirl



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Complete, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Hometown AU, Modern AU, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:22:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28219152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostGeekMonkeyGirl/pseuds/LostGeekMonkeyGirl
Summary: Dani is reluctant to travel home for the weekend to attend her Mother's wedding but Dani is glad she did when she bumps into her friend Jamie.Based on 'Tis The Damn Season by Taylor Swift.
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie, Dani Clayton/Jamie, damie - Relationship
Comments: 7
Kudos: 98





	1. The First Night

Dani Clayton gripped on tight to the arm rest next to her, knuckles white as the plane hit the runway and skidded to a holt on the hot, dry tarmac. As the plane came to a standstill and the other passengers rose form their seats, too impatient to wait for the seatbelt sign to signal that they were allowed to move, Dani let a long, slow breath out through her lips that she didn’t realise she was holding. She was holding her breath, not in anticipation of the plane coming safely to a holt, but due to the location where the plane had landed. It was real now. She had almost pushed the thought to the back of her mind for the past week, unable to bring herself to fully contemplate her inevitable future. As the plane emptied, she rose from her seat and collected her luggage from the cabinet above her and made her way out of the airport. She stood on the pavement outside the doors of the airport and took in a long, deep breath before collecting her hire car. 

As she drove through the streets she had become so familiar with throughout her life, her palms became sweatier and she became more restless in her seat. It had been just over a year since she had left her hometown Iowa. The word ‘left’ really didn’t give enough justice to what she had done, ‘escaped’ was a better fit. She had sworn to never come back, there were too many memories that she had begun to forget once she started her new life across the pond in England. However, after numerous, stressful phone calls with her Mother who had insisted that she needed her to come back home to attend her wedding, Dani finally gave in, wanting the harassment to stop and the only way that would happen would be if she agreed, which she did. Dani hadn’t really allowed herself to think about it, she couldn’t, it was too much. She was hoping to just attend the wedding and leave but her Mother insisted she stay for the whole weekend since she had come so far. She also insisted on Dani staying at her house, in her old childhood bedroom. The thought filled Dani with dread, and she would have preferred booking a hotel room, but her Mother did not take no for an answer. 

As she pulled up outside her old childhood house which had never felt like home, she let out a shaky breath and whispered to herself “Come on Dani, you’ve got this”. With that she grabbed her bags and made her way up to the front door and knocked twice, hard, not realising the force she put into the knocks until a sharp pain ran through her hand. Her Mother swung the door quickly open and said “Danielle, welcome home”.   
Dani scoffed at this, this place was not her home, it never had been and never will be. “You’ve put on a bit of weight haven’t you Danielle, you should try to lose that before the wedding”. 

Dani was used to comments like this, she had heard them all her life. They hurt, really hurt, but she had learnt as she got older to just let them go over her head. Dani had actually put-on weight over the past year since she had moved to England but, that was weight she had lost due to stress, not eating properly and everything that had happened with her ex-fiancé. Dani was actually quite proud of herself when she had started to notice her stomach getting a little bigger and her thighs filling out and she was very proud of herself that she now ate three proper meals a day and had no longer noticed a significant amount of hair leaving her head every time she brushed it. That was progress, she had thought to herself, significant progress and it meant that she was healing. After an awkward welcome conversation with her Mother, she had excused herself and found sanctuary in her old bedroom that hadn’t changed since she moved out. Her bedcovers were still that same, the posters were still on the wall and photos were still lined up on her dresser and bedside table. She walked to her dresser and collected three photos of her and her ex-fiancé and placed them in the top draw. She couldn’t look at those just yet, the memories were still raw. 

As she sat on her bed, she picked up another photo frame, “Jamie…” Dani whispered as her thumb caressed over the picture of Jamie’s face. The only thing she had been looking forward to doing when she found out she was coming back to Iowa was seeing Jamie. Jamie was her childhood friend. Jamie had been fostered by the family who lived in the house opposite them when Dani was 15. She remembered first laying eyes on the short, scruffy looking girl from her bedroom window. A strange feeling had happened in her stomach as she observed the girl sitting on the curb, scuffing her shoes of the ground. Jamie had introduced herself first to Dani who had difficulty formulating words as Jamie stared directly into her eyes and smirked. Being around Jamie had always been easy, too easy. Dani had felt that being around everyone she had ever met to be difficult, consuming and almost painful, but not Jamie, never with Jamie. She couldn’t help remembering the look in Jamie’s eyes the day she left. Jamie was the only one she had told that she was leaving. The pain she saw in her eyes as she hugged her goodbye, unsure when they would ever see each other again broke Dani’s heart. Dani would have loved nothing more than to have Jamie by her side when she left Iowa, but she needed to go, needed to get away quickly. There was no time to plan, she just had to escape. Dani didn’t even plan where she was going, she just asked for a ticket to Europe. She felt guilty when she landed in England. Jamie was from England but had moved to America with a foster family when she was young, and she had always wanted to go back so for Dani to be there on her own felt like cheating on Jamie in some weird way. Hearing her Mother shout her name from downstairs ripped her away from her thoughts, “Are you ready, dear?” she shouted. Dani huffed, “One moment” she shouted back, making an effort to sound cheerful. 

Dani sat in the backseat of her Mother’s husband-to-be’s car as he drove them to a restaurant for dinner. Dani thought he seemed nice, nicer than the rest. Her Mother had been married 3 times before, once with her high school sweetheart, once with Dani’s Father and once with a car salesman from down the street who saw an opportunity after Dani’s dad died. Dani wondered why her Mother even bothered anymore, why waste all that money and time and energy into getting married for it to inevitably fail. Maybe Dani just had too many raw memories of weddings to see the joy her Mother did in them. It was her Mother’s joy that inevitably almost forced Dani into a marriage that she didn’t want to be in. It was the happiness it brought those around her that stopped her saying no earlier. All her life Dani had felt like a disappointment to everyone that she knew but when Eddie proposed she suddenly felt like she was doing the right thing in life for once. Family members who she had never even seen before praised her like she had never been praised before and the happiness in Eddie’s Mother’s eyes, who had been more of a Mother to Dani than her own Mother had, was something she cherished. She wanted to make them all happy, she did, but it felt wrong, it all felt so wrong. 

She sat through an awkward dinner making small talk with the man who her Mother was marrying in two days’ time, trying to get to know him as well as she could given the very short amount of time she had with him. She was forced to make pleasantries with her Mother who couldn’t help but put Dani down for leaving the way she did and breaking Eddie’s Mother’s heart and for leaving to finding a sub-par job when she could have stayed here in her old job that paid well. Dani’s blood boiled, it always did around her mother and numerous times she had to excuse herself in order to escape to the bathroom or outside just to catch her breath and to not feel the constant feeling of drowning. 

Dani was having one of those moments now. She was stood outside heaving, taking deep breaths of the cold evening air, trying to fill her lungs the best she could. “Mother dearest pissing ya off?”. Dani quickly froze. She didn’t look up or move or even breath. She knew that voice, that all too familiar cocky English accent. 

“Want me to sort her out for ya, like the good old days?”. Dani tried to compose herself, she straightened up her form and inhaled a shaky breath and turned to where the voice was coming from. 

“Jamie” she breathed out, a smile suddenly appearing on her lips as she watched Jamie cock her head to one side and smirk. 

“Didn’t tell me you were back in town, come ‘ere”. Dani couldn’t stop herself, her body was on autopilot. She walked the few steps towards Jamie and allowed herself to collapse into her arms. No matter what was going on in the world, she could always find comfort and peace in Jamie’s arms. For some reason it just felt like home. 

Jamie squeezed her tight, wrapping her strong, stable arms around Dani whose breathing had slowly returned to normal. After a few moments Dani pulled away. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, it's all just been such a rush”. That was true but Dani had had enough time to tell Jamie she would be coming back to Iowa to visit but Dani hadn’t wanted to if she was being really honest with herself. Her time away from Iowa had allowed her some much-needed time and space to discover herself. To allow herself to think about things she had refused to in the past and one of the things she thought about the most was Jamie. When she had first met Jamie, Dani was already in a relationship with Eddie and that’s all Dani had ever really known. She had always wanted to spend more time with Jamie than she did with Eddie, but she thought that was totally normal, after all, Jamie was her best friend. Well, Jamie was her only friend. Dani had spent most of her life with Eddie and he was constantly by her side so, she hadn’t really had a chance to make other friends. She had thought to herself that maybe it was normal to feel the way she felt about Jamie as she had never really had any other experiences of friendship before. But her time away had made her realise that what she felt for Jamie was the way she was supposed to feel about Eddie. Jamie made her heart race, her cheeks flush and her whole body tingle. She craved Jamie and most importantly, Jamie felt like home. Eddie on the other hand had made her nervous, uneasy and constantly stressed. She would rather be anywhere else sometimes than be next to him and she had spent so long trying to understand why, and she had finally solved the mystery. 

“It’s fine, ya don’t need to keep me updated on your whereabouts Poppins”. This is what she loved about Jamie. There was no pressure, no expectations but with Eddie there was, he always wanted to know where she was and who she was with and this just made the knot in Dani’s stomach tighten even more. 

“So… Mother dearest then, how’s the wedding preparations going? I'm guessing you’re here for the 4th time lucky”. Dani chuckled and looked up at Jamie, her green eyes sparkling in the dull light outside the restaurant with a cigarette between her lips. 

“Yeah… don’t know why she bothers really, anyway how do you know she’s getting married again and why are you just standing outside the one restaurant I happen to be at?”. Jamie laughed loudly. God Dani had missed that laugh and her heart sped up a little when she heard it. 

“Well, ya Mother’s wedding, everyone knows about that, even got an invitation meself so, might see ya there and as for being here, I'm stalking ya Poppins obviously”. Dani just chuckled and unconsciously bit her lip slightly. She always did then when Jamie made a joke. 

“I actually work here. Picked up some extra shifts. Wanted to add a little more money to the ‘Leave Iowa’ fund y’know”. Dani smiled. She felt a little guilty for having left Jamie behind here. She knew how much she hated it and all she had been doing since she was old enough to get a job was saving money to leave. 

Before Dani could form an apology, which Jamie would never take and tell her that she did the right thing for herself and not to worry about her, Dani’s Mother yelled “Danielle!”. Both Dani and Jamie shot round when they heard her voice, “Oh there you are, we thought you had run away, what are you doing out, oh… Jamie, darling, how are you”. 

Jamie could sense the fakeness, always had. Dani’s Mother never liked her as she thought she was leading Dani astray, but Jamie only wanted the best for Dani and her Mother couldn’t handle the fact that Jamie would give Dani the right advice and it was usually advice that contradicted Dani’s Mothers. “Ya know me Mrs Clayton, I'm a ray of sunshine”. Dani’s Mother rolled her eyes and Dani chuckled under her breath as she knew Jamie was only doing this to elicit a reason from her Mother. 

“Well Danielle, we best go back inside, you can talk to your friend after”. And with that Dani was tugged away from Jamie, mouthing an apology as she went. Jamie only laughed and told her it was alright. 

For the rest of the dinner, the only thing Dani could think about was Jamie. She hadn’t changed at all but something about their interaction had felt different. Could Jamie sense it too? Maybe it was just the stretch of time that had passed and maybe it felt a little weird to have seen each other again after such a long time? But to Dani it didn’t feel weird, it had felt like no time had passed at all. Maybe it was Dani who had changed. She had finally allowed herself to admit that she had feelings for Jamie and always had done, maybe that was the difference?

The dinner had finished, and once Dani arrived back at her Mother’s house, she quickly excused herself and went to her bedroom. She laid on her bed, the photo of her and Jamie in her hands. The photo had been taken on the day of Dani and Eddie’s engagement party. 

That day was a mix of emotions for both Dani and Jamie alike. Dani had felt this overwhelming sense of achievement, yet it was mixed with this overwhelming sense of dread. She knew she didn’t want to marry Eddie, but everyone was so happy that she felt like it was impossible that she could be making the wrong decision, even though in her heart she knew it didn’t feel right.  
Jamie also had many mixed emotions that day too. She loved Dani so much and in more than a friend way, but Dani was happy. Well, she knew Dani wasn’t exactly totally happy, she had felt pressured into this and she could see the pain behind her eyes as Eddie gave his speech. She couldn’t understand though how everyone in that room was looking at Dani, but no one else could see her pain, her dread of having to go through with something so life changing when she didn’t want to. Jamie didn’t know exactly why Dani didn’t want to marry Eddie, she only knew what Dani had told her which was that she felt it was all a little rushed and she wanted time to feel for Eddie the way he felt about her.   
But the photo they had taken, just the two of them together, in the bathroom when Dani had asked Jamie to help her fix her make-up showed so much happiness on both their faces, despite all the emotions they were feeling. Dani had lied, there was nothing wrong with her make-up and Jamie had said as much as that to her. Dani just wanted a moment, a moment to breath, to let go and with Jamie she could do that. Jamie could see the stress radiating from Dani and had done her very best to try and relax her by saying stupid stuff and making her laugh. The photo had been taken at the exact moment Jamie had told a dumb Dad joke and Dani had laughed. 

As Dani looked at the photo, it was so obvious to her that she loved Jamie. Just the look in her eyes as she had turned her head to meet Jamie’s. How had it taken her so long to figure it out? How had no one else figured it out? And why had Jamie allowed her to go along with Eddie’s plans when Dani so clearly looked at Jamie the way she should have looked at her husband-to-be? 

Dani’s thoughts were interrupted when her phone pinged. She looks down and it was Jamie. It read: ‘Hey Poppins, good running into you today. How about a proper catch-up without Mumsey dragging you away from me?’. Dani chuckled to herself and replied: ‘Good seeing you too, a proper catch-up sounds nice. What are you doing now?’. Not long after, her phone pinged again: ‘Just got off work, wanna get ice cream like the good old days?’. ‘Sounds great!’. ‘Pick you up in 10 then Poppins’.

Dani felt like a teenager again, quietly scurrying around her bedroom collecting what she needed and looking in the mirror one last time before she snook out of her bedroom. Dani waited on the corner of her street like she always used to do when she was younger so her Mother and Eddie couldn’t see that she was going out late with Jamie. 

About a minute after she arrived an all too familiar truck pulled up beside her. Dani’s face lit up as she saw Jamie’s through the window which was rolled down. “Just like old times, ey?” Jamie said smirking, “Waiting on the corner for me”. Dani giggled and opened the door, pulling herself into the front seat. “So, the same spot as always?” Jamie asked once Dani got herself comfortable. “Yeah” Dani said smiling. 

The drive was filled with easy small talk for the 15 minutes it took to drive to the ice cream shop. “Hasn’t changed much” Dani said when they pulled up in the empty parking lot outside. 

“You’ve only been gone a year Poppins, not much can change in a year”. Jamie was wrong, a lot had changed in the year Dani had been away, but it was mostly Dani who had changed, not everything around her. 

“Feels a lot longer” Dani sighed out. 

“Don’t tell me ya miss this place?” Jamie said chuckling and turning her body to face Dani. 

“Iowa or the ice cream shop?” Dani asked, partly because she had two different answers. 

“Either” Jamie said. 

“Iowa? No, not in the slightest. The ice cream shop? Yeah… I miss the late-night drives, the sneaking out, the ice cream… you”. Both women smiled gently at each other, holding comfortable eye contact. 

“I miss ya too Dani. This place hasn’t been the same since ya left. If I'm being honest with ya, I still come here sometimes, get the usual and sit in our booth after work. Think about what ya might be up to, if ya alright, having a nice time… if ya happy”. The car was silent for a few seconds and both women couldn’t fully bring themselves to make eye contact with each other. Dani felt guilty, in her attempts to escape Iowa and everything that had happened here, she had also inadvertently neglected the one person who she cared so much for. 

“I’m sorry… for not keeping in touch very well, for leaving… and not taking you with me”. Dani said, a tear escaping her watery eyes. 

“Hey” Jamie said, taking Dani’s hands in hers, “There’s no need to apologise, you were putting yourself first, doing something for yourself for once, after everything, that’s the least you deserve”. A few more tears rolled down Dani’s cheeks which Jamie wiped away. 

“How about we get that ice cream, yeah? Might dry these tears up, it always does”. Dani giggled and her mind couldn’t help but think about the last time they had done this, the night of Eddie’s funeral. The whole event had been stressful for Dani. She had felt guilty about what had happened before Eddie had died and she blamed herself for his death. She had told no one what had happened, only Jamie. The pressure of the day had gotten to Dani which had resulted in a panic attack. Jamie had noticed the signs and got Dani out of the room as fast as she could and had helped calm her down. They had sat together in Jamie’s truck once Dani’s breathing and heart rate had slowed to a steady rhythm and it was then when she told Jamie everything that had happened. Jamie had tried to tell her that it wasn’t her fault and that she had no control over who lives and who dies, but her words would sink in later, about 6 months later to be exact, when Dani was across the pond in England. Dani couldn’t face going back inside to face all of Eddie’s friends and family so Jamie had taken her to the one place in the world where they felt the safest, the ice cream shop. 

Dani was broken out of her thoughts when Jamie opened her door and asked “Ya coming then Poppins?”. Dani took Jamie’s hand as she helped her out of the truck, but she didn’t let go. They held hands all the way to the shop and only let go when Jamie took her wallet out of her back pocket to pay. 

“No let me pay” Dani had protested but Jamie just replied, “You’re the guest Poppins, I’ll pay for this one, you can pay next time”. ‘Next time’ Dani thought to herself as a grin appeared on her face. She really hoped there would be a next time.

They sat down in their usual booth and shared their ice cream like they used to do when they were younger. “So, how’s England treatin ya?” Jamie asked, after taking a lick of her spoon. 

“Good, really good yeah. It feels like home. Everyone’s been so friendly and the manor, it's stunning, like something from a movie”. Dani said, picturing the manor in her head as she spoke. 

“What the kids like?”. 

“Oh, the kids, they are lovely. Flora she’s perfect, a little odd from time to time but she’s such a sweetheart. Miles, he’s a little older, sometimes I think he’s so much older than he really is. He talks like a fully grown man whose been around for years. They are great though, both of them, I think you’d all get along very well”. Dani’s face was bright as she spoke, her blue eyes glistening in the harsh lights of the shop. 

“You’re happy then?” Jamie asked. 

“Yeah,” Dani replied, “I am”. That’s all Jamie really wanted to know, whether Dani was happy or not. Dani deserved all the happiness in the world and Jamie was so glad that Dani had found a place that felt like home finally. 

“Enough about me though, how are you?” Dani asked. “Erm, y’know, getting by, trying to get out of here. Don’t think it will be long now, got enough money for flights and stuff, just need to find a job really and a place to go now”. Dani smiled at Jamie’s answer, Jamie had wanted to get away for so long and it was finally almost time. 

“Still planning on going to England?” Dani asked. 

“Yeah, think so, finally get to see the motherland. Hey, might be able to come visit ya, ya never know”. 

“I’d love that” Dani said smiling gently at Jamie, sincerely. There was a moments silence before Dani spoke again. “Y’know there’s a job, at the manor. The old gardener is retiring soon so their looking for someone to take his place. Could be a good starting place?”. Dani didn’t want Jamie to feel any pressure to apply for the job, but she had seen the miracles Jamie can work on gardens and the manor had so many beautiful gardens Jamie could work her magic on. 

“Really?” Jamie said, her face lighting up, “Sounds like a great opportunity actually, and I’d get to see ya around”. 

Dani chuckled, “You would, yeah”. There were a few more moments of silence and Dani could see Jamie’s brain ticking over the idea. 

“You know what Poppins,” Jamie said after a while of thinking, “Put me name down”. 

“Really?” Dani said looking a little shocked. 

“Yeah, no time like the present to start preparing”. 

“You don’t have to y’know, say yes just because I mentioned it” Dani said, not wanting to feel like she had put any pressure on Jamie. 

“I know, I’m saying yes because it sounds like a great job that I would really like to do and if I'm being honest, I think I keep putting off looking for a job in England, probably a little scared y’know, going to a different country and all. Not knowing anyone or anything, it’s a big jump”. 

“You’d know me” Dani said taking Jamie’s hand gently. 

“S’pose I would, wouldn’t I?” Jamie said, chuckling. 

They spent the rest of the night laughing and joking and eating way too much ice cream. “I don’t wanna go back” Dani said as they sat in Jamie’s truck sighing. 

“Can always stay at mine?” Jamie suggested, seeing the pain in Dani’s eyes. 

“Sure? I don’t wanna intrude”. 

“Course, you’re always welcome” Jamie said, patting Dani’s knee. 

“Thanks” Dani said and with that they drove back to Jamie’s apartment. 

Ever since Jamie had moved out of her foster parent’s house and into her own apartment, Dani had never stayed over. Partly because Eddie would never let her and partly because she was scared that she would do something stupid, like kiss Jamie, and ruin their friendship. It was always best to just not chance it and keep things how they were. However, Dani wasn’t worried about that anymore. Just spending the small amount of time she had done with Jamie since being back, her old feelings had been replaced by much stronger ones. Maybe it was because she had finally accepted that she was in love with Jamie and that what she felt for her wasn’t wrong or shameful but beautiful. 

“What ya thinking about over there, Poppins?” Jamie said, startling Dani slightly. 

“Erm, nothing really” Dani said, her cheeks beginning to flush. 

“Ya cheeks tell a different story” Jamie said chuckling, and this only caused Dani’s cheeks to turn a darker shade of red. 

They finally pulled up outside Jamie’s apartment and they both made their way in. “It’s exactly how I remember it” Dani said walking into the apartment and looking around. “Think you’ve collected a few more plants than the last time I was here though”. 

Jamie just laughed, “Probably, I can't seem to stop”. 

Jamie wondered over to her bedroom and Dani followed. “Here, hold these for us” Jamie said pulling out a pile of blankets from a cupboard. “I’ll sleep on the sofa tonight, you can have me bed”. 

Dani held out her hands and stopped Jamie from handing her the blankets. “No, it's fine, we can share, can't we?”. 

“Ya sure?” Jamie said, her brows furrowing slightly. 

Dani let out a deep breath and said “Yeah”. 

Jamie placed the blankets back in the cupboard and closed the door. “Here’s the thing” Dani said a little quickly and a little too loudly, causing Jamie to turn her attention back to the blonde. “I like you, Jamie, I always have I just didn’t really fully understand it before” 

Jamie just stood with a blank expression on her face as she watched Dani carefully. 

“I had always been with Eddie and it was the only thing I knew but I always had feeling for you, I just couldn’t understand what they meant, but I do now. Maybe it was the time away from here, from everything that had happened or maybe it was just that finally, I allowed myself to think about us properly but… Jamie I like you, I like you a lot and I hope that’s okay. I'm sorry I just had to get it off my chest because if I don’t, I’ll regret it. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way I just needed to say it out loud to someone I trust”. 

Jamie was still looking at Dani with the same blank expression, trying to process everything that had just been said. 

After a few moments Jamie said “Dani…”, her hands reached out to take hold of Dani’s, “I like you too, I mean I always have, ever since we met really. I didn’t think you felt the same way”. 

Dani smiled and let go of Jamie’s hands to cup her face gently. “Can I… kiss you?” Dani asked shyly. 

“God please do” Jamie said, a huge grin taking over her face and her eyes sparkled. 

It was like a current of electricity ran through their bodies when their lips touched. It was slow and gentle and nervous at first but then years of longing for each other took over and their kisses became fast, messy and desperate. Hands that had been too scared to touch the other were now wrapped in hair and tugging at clothes. 

After a few moments, both women pulled away for air. “Fuck, Dani” Jamie chuckled, slightly overwhelmed with what had just happened, “Do you know how long I’ve waited to do that?”. Dani just giggled in response and rested her forehead on Jamie’s shoulder. Jamie wrapped her arms around Dani and pulled her in closer to her and Dani did the same. They could both feel the other’s chest heaving as they tried to fill their lungs with the air they had missed out on whilst kissing. 

After a few moments of just holding each other, Dani lifted her head up and looked at Jamie, “Can we do that again?”. 

“Ya don’t need to ask Poppins” Jamie said and connected their lips.

Jamie gently laid Dani down on her bed and Dani pulled at Jamie’s t-shirt to take it off her. Jamie just giggled as the Dani tossed the shirt aside. Jamie climbed on the bed and straddled Dani, leaning down to kiss her softly. “This alright?” she asked, not wanting Dani to become uncomfortable at any point. Dani just nodded and hummed, her lips too busy to speak. 

Their kisses became hot and messy as their hands explored the other’s bodies. Dani couldn’t get enough of the brunette on top of her and small moans began falling from her mouth. Both their tongues fought for dominance and Dani’s hips began rocking quickly against Jamie, trying to find some friction to release the tension between her legs. “Hey” Jamie said as she placed a gentle hand on Dani’s hip bone, stilling her suddenly erratic movements, “We don’t have to rush this y’know, I wanna savour it”. 

Dani just giggled as a blush rose on her cheeks, “Sorry, I just got a little carried away”. 

“No need to apologise Poppins, just want to take it slow and make ya feel good is all”. 

With that Jamie returned to kissing the blonde underneath her and played with the hem of her jumper. “Just for the record, I really like these jumpers you’ve started to wear, really suit ya” Jamie said which caused Dani to giggle shyly. 

“I do get a little hot in them though” Dani replied and took her bottom lip between her teeth seductively. 

“I bet ya do Poppins, want me to take it off for ya?”. Dani nodded eagerly and lifted her arms to help Jamie take it off her. 

Jamie kissed down Dani’s neck, licking and sucking as she went which caused Dani to tilt her head to allow Jamie more access. The soft, quiet moans Jamie elicited from Dani were like music to her ears and only caused her to lick and suck more. 

Dani’s hands reached around Jamie’s back and tried to undo her bra clasp but failing. After a few attempts Dani asked, “Can you help, it's a little tricky”. Jamie happily obliged and quickly undid her bra clasp in seconds and threw it on the floor. Dani reached an unsure hand out and paused before she touched Jamie’s breast. “They won't bite y’know” Jamie said chuckling as she watched the blonde. As she reconnected their lips she felt Dani’s hand tenderly holding her breast in her hand. Dani slowly began to massage it and squeeze the nipple. This earnt a soft moan from Jamie, so Dani did the same to Jamie’s other breast. 

“Can I take yours off?” Jamie asked, motioning to Dani’s bra with her finger. Dani just nodded and sat up a little to allow Jamie to undo the clasp. Dani became a little self-conscious as Jamie removed her bra and pulled it off her body. “You okay?” Jamie asked sensing a little nervousness from Dani. 

“Yeah, think so” Dani replied, softly smiling at Jamie. 

“We can stop if you want? Have a break? Just lay here? Whatever you want” Jamie said, taking hold of Dani’s hand and drawing small circles on it with her thumb. 

“No, I want to carry on I just, I don’t know, you’ve never seen me like this before I…” Dani looked away from Jamie and shyly said “Do you still like me?”. 

It broke Jamie’s heart to think that Dani would ever think Jamie wouldn’t like her after seeing her naked. “Hey, Dani,” Jamie said, sitting up a little, “Can I let you into a little secret?”. Dani just nodded, unsure of where Jamie was heading with this. “You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes one, Dani Clayton”. Dani just blushed and looked away. “Hey, look at me” Jamie said placing gentle hands on either side of Dani’s face so Dani’s eyes would meet hers. “You’re stunning, Dani. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you aren’t okay? Not even yourself”. A tear leaked out of one of Dani’s eyes which Jamie quickly kissed away. 

“You’re so beautiful too” Dani whispered, stroking Jamie’s forearm. Dani lifted her head slowly to meet Jamie’s lips and kissed her gently. The kiss said more than any of their words could. Their kisses quickly became messier and more desperate as their tongues explored the other’s mouths. 

“Can I… can you, your pants?” Dani asked shyly. Jamie chuckled, and undid the buttons on her pants and skilfully shimmied out of her pants and threw them on the floor behind her. Dani giggled as she watched Jamie theatrically toss her pants away. 

“Can I?” Jamie asked, her fingers placed on the buttons on Dani’s pants. “Yeah” Dani sighed out and watched Jamie carefully tug at her pants, slowly exposing her bare legs. Jamie placed delicate kisses along Dani’s legs as she made her way up to Dani’s lips. “You still okay?” Jamie asked. Dani nodded and kissed Jamie back. 

Their kisses became faster and hotter and more desperate and before long, Dani’s hips were bucking again. Jamie kissed her way down Dani’s body, making sure to place a kiss everywhere she could. The heat between Dani’s legs increased as Jamie’s lips gradually made their way down her torso. 

“Jamie?” Dani asked, her head lifting up from the pillow it was resting on. “I’ve never, erm, done this before, with a woman”. Jamie’s lips stopped and her head lifted up so her eyes could meet Dani’s, “I know”. 

Dani just stared at her, eyes wide. “We don’t have to y’know, we can stop” Jamie said sitting back, but keeping one hand on Dani’s knee for reassurance. “No, I want to do this I, erm, just… don’t know what to expect. What do I, erm, do?”. 

Jamie’s lips curled into a small smile, “That’s okay Poppins, I’ll go slow. I’ll ask you before I do anything and if ya want me to stop, just let me know and I will, is that okay?”. Dani just nodded and reached her hand out to hold Jamie’s that was placed on her knee. “As for what you do, right now Poppins, just relax and enjoy yaself. Think ya can do that?”. 

Dani giggled a little and her cheeks flushed, “Yeah, think I can do that”. 

Jamie made her way back to Dani’s lips and kissed her gently. “Can I take these off?” Jamie whispered. 

“Please”, Dani whispered back. 

Jamie slowly shimmied Dani out of her underwear, looking back at her a few times to make sure she was okay with it. “You’re so beautiful Dani” Jamie whispered as she took a moment to look down at Dani, her pale, soft body below her. “Is it okay if I touch you?”. 

Dani nodded, her eyes were dark with lust but there was a hint of nervousness too. Jamie placed herself back on top of Dani, her thighs either side of Dani’s hips. She lowered herself so her lips were hovering above Dani’s. Dani licked her lips and Jamie gently kissed her. 

Jamie’s finger than delicately slipped between Dani’s wet folds. Dani’s breath hitched at the sensation, but she smiled against Jamie’s lips. “Dani, baby… you’re so wet” Jamie whispered in the blonde’s ear which caused more wetness to pool between her legs. 

Jamie’s fingers slowly ran the length of Dani’s folds before settling on her centre and drawing small circles there. “This okay?” Jamie asked, looking down at Dani. 

“Yeah” Dani breathed out, her head leaning back slightly. Jamie picked up the pace a little and Dani moaned. Her hips began to rock to Jamie’s pace and Jamie sucked and licked on Dani’s neck. 

“More” Dani stated simply. 

“Is it okay if I, erm, go inside you?” Jamie asked a little hesitantly. 

“Yeah” Dani moaned back, her hips jerking a little at Jamie’s touch. 

Dani gasped as a single finger entered her. “Okay?” Jamie asked again. Dani just nodded back and wrapped her arms around Jamie’s back, “More”. With that Jamie added a second finger and Dani let out a deep moan. Jamie’s pace started off slow but quickly sped up as Dani’s hips rocked faster and faster. 

Dani’s short nails dug into her back as she moaned underneath her. “Can I,” Jamie asked, and Dani quickly nodded and replied, “Whatever you want”. Jamie finished her sentence anyway “Taste you?”. Dani placed her hand on Jamie’s head and pushed her downwards. 

Jamie found a comfy position between Dani’s legs and gently placed her tongue where her thumb had been on Dani’s centre. Dani moaned loudly at the contact. “Fuck, Jamie, please” Dani said as Jamie picked up the pace. 

Dani’s fingers found their way into Jamie’s brown curly hair and tugged slightly. Jamie knew Dani was close and increased her speed. Dani’s hips were rocking frantically down onto her fingers and mouth now and the grip Dani had on Jamie’s hair hurt a little, but it only increased the pool of wetness between Jamie’s legs. 

“Jamie, I” Dani said suddenly, as if she had quickly come to the realisation of what was about to happen. “Jamie!” Dani said, her legs beginning to tremble. 

Jamie reached her hand up to find Dani’s and held it, intertwining their fingers. Dani held on to Jamie’s hand for dear life and she moaned Jamie’s name loudly along with other profanities as she came undone. 

Jamie kept up her actions, allowing Dani to ride out her orgasm for as long as she could. Dani whimpered her name as an indication to stop when she became too sensitive to touch. Jamie crawled up Dani’s body and connected their lips. “Jamie, I” but Dani couldn’t finish the sentence. 

“Shhh” Jamie said, laying down at the side of Dani and holding her gently. 

After a few moments, Dani had regained her breath and said “Jaime, I’ve never… you know, erm, cum before, with anyone”. 

Jamie gently placed a kiss on Dani’s cheek. “How was it?” Jamie whispered. 

“So… so good, fuck Jamie, you feel so good”. 

Jamie chuckled gently, pride swelling in her chest. She laced her fingers with Dani’s and rested their conjoined hands on Dani’s stomach. 

She watched as Dani’s chest fell into a steady, normal rhythm. Jamie didn’t know how many times she had dreamt about this moment, how many times she had imagined holding a naked Dani in her arms after making her feel good, but the moment had finally happened. 

“Can I do the same to you?” Dani said after a few minutes of laying in silence. 

“You don’t have too Dani, it's okay, tonight can just be about you” Jamie said, not wanting Dani to feel any pressure to return the favour. 

“No” Dani said firmly, “I want to make you feel like I just did, please”. 

“Okay” Jamie said, laughing a little. 

“Can you just… tell me how to do it?” Dani asked nervously. 

“Of course” Jamie said, placing a small kiss on the side of Dani’s head. 

Dani sat up and straddled Jamie and copied everything Jamie had done to her not 20 minutes ago. Dani kissed down Jamie’s abdomen and hovered once she reached its end. 

Jamie had watched the blonde intently as she kissed her way down her body. She had longed for this since she had met Dani and almost 15 years later, the moment had finally arrived. Jamie took a deep breath in, trying to compose herself as she felt Dani hover between her legs. Jamie was sure that as soon as Dani touched her right where she needed her the most, she would instantly come undone and she didn’t want to do that on Dani’s first time with a woman. 

“Jamie” Dani whispered softly, “What do I?”. Jamie reached for Dani’s hand and pulled her up to her lips. Jamie could sense Dani was nervous and she hoped kissing her would help her relax a little. “Can you show me?” Dani said softly, pulling away from Jamie’s lips. 

Jamie was still holding Dani’s hand and slowly guided it between her legs. Dani’s hand, with Jamie’s on top slid under Jamie’s underwear and on to warm, wet skin. Jamie’s breath caught in her throat as Dani’s fingers slowly stroked the length of her folds. Dani’s fingers were a little shaky but well intentioned as she began exploring the new area of skin. 

“I did all… this?” Dani whispered into Jamie’s ear as she felt her fingers become covered in Jamie’s wetness. 

“Yeah” Jamie breathed out, her focus still on Dani’s fingers. 

Dani’s hesitant fingers found their way to where Jamie needed her the most and when Jamie bucked her hips, Dani knew she was on the right spot. With Jamie’s hand still on top of Dani’s, they set a slow, steady pace together. 

Jamie let go once she figured Dani had become a little more comfortable with her actions and tangled her fingers in her hair. Jamie let out small moans as Dani continued her circling. 

After a few moments, Dani said, “Can I take these off?”. Jamie nodded and Dani slide down her body and pulled her underwear off in one single action. That sight alone elicited a moan from Jamie’s mouth that was louder than she had intended it to be. Dani just stared at the now exposed area between Jamie’s legs and slowly took her bottom lip between her teeth. 

“You’re so beautiful” Dani said after a few moments. Dani’s hands gently traced down Jamie’s thighs and she settled herself between Jamie’s legs. 

“You don’t have to” Jamie said softly, knowing what Dani was going to do, “If ya don’t want to”. 

“No” Dani stated simply, “I want to”. With that Dani softly kissed the area she had been circling before with her fingers. Jamie let out a small moan at the contact and her head fell back on to the pillow. Dani’s tongue slowly licked its way through Jamie’s slick folds and began circling her centre. The tender actions caused Jamie to moan softly into the dark midnight air of her apartment and push Dani’s head further into her. 

“Can I try with my fingers?” Dani asked softly, still wanting to explore more of Jamie. Jamie just nodded in agreement. A few seconds later a single finger tentatively entered Jamie causing her breath to hitch. 

Dani started to push the finger in and out at a steady pace until Jamie breathed out “More”. Dani responded and slowly added a second finger. Jamie started bucking her hips and matching Dani’s pace, searching for more friction. 

Dani’s tongue had stopped it's exploring of her centre and Jamie desperately needed the contact. “My clit” Jamie breathed out, still rocking her hips and moaning. Dani’s fingers were quick to respond and continued the small circles they were doing before. 

Dani’s movements were becoming a little sporadic and out of rhythm and Jamie could feel her struggling a little to keep up. One of Jamie’s hands rested on top of Dani’s fingers that were on her centre whilst the other one reached into a draw in her bedside table. 

Dani halted her movements as she watched Jamie intently. Jamie’s hand appeared a few seconds later with a small bullet vibrator which she handed to Dani who took it and just stared at it. “You can use it if you want, might help ya keep up the pace”. 

Dani chuckled softly. She had once of these at home so knew exactly how to use it. She used to have one when she was with Eddie too. After they had had sex she used to sneak into the bathroom when he had gone to sleep and bring herself to orgasm with it. 

Dani’s fingers started at a slow pace again but quickly built up into the pace they were at before she had stopped. She then turned on the vibrator and placed it softly on Jamie’s centre. Jamie let out a loud moan and her hips bucked into the sensation. “Dani” Jamie softly moaned, gripping her hair tightly. 

The vibrator had definitely helped Dani focus on the in and out actions of her fingers without needing to worry about the circular movements her other hand was doing. She kissed the inside of Jamie’s thighs and watched her intently. Jamie’s eyes were now closed tightly, her head was laid back on the pillow and her mouth was partly open. This sight sent a rush of warmth between Dani’s legs as she watched the brunette moan out her name. 

It wasn’t long before Jamie was moaning loudly and gripping onto Dani tighter. “Dani, I’m so close” she breathed out, “Don’t stop”. 

Dani had no intention to do such a thing. Dani kept going and soon enough she could feel Jamie tighten around her fingers and Jamie moaned “I’m coming”. Jamie moaned Dani’s name over and over again along with some profanities. 

Dani slowed her fingers and when Jamie stilled, she removed the vibrator and turned it off. 

“Fuck, Dani” Jamie sighed out, waving her hand around to find Dani as her eyes were still shut. Dani slowly climbed up Jamie’s body and laid next to her and softly kissed her cheek. Jamie hummed and moved her face round so she could kiss her lips. “Dani” Jamie simply said, not knowing what else to say other than her name. Their legs naturally intertwined, and Dani’s arm wrapped around Jamie’s waist. “I’ve missed you so much” Jamie whispered, her breathing slowly starting to return to normal. 

“I’ve miss you too, Jamie” Dani said, kissing the brunette softly on her swollen lips.


	2. The Second Night

Dani had never slept so well in her life. She had fallen asleep resting her head on Jamie’s chest, their hands holding each other’s and with their legs intertwined. 

When Dani woke up, Jamie was in front of her and her arm was wrapped tightly around her waist and their naked bodies were flushed together. 

Dani laid there in silence for a while, staring at Jamie whilst she slept. Dani had dreamt of this moment for years and she wasn’t 100% sure that it was all just a dream or not. 

Suddenly, Dani remembered that she had a dress fitting this morning and quickly shot up in search of a clock. Jamie’s room was still dark thanks to the very thick blinds that hung in her window, but Dani could see a glimpse of light around the outside of them. She found a clock on Jamie’s bedside table and read the time, 9am, shit. 

Dani’s jolty movements behind her had woken Jamie and she slowly stirred, turning herself around in order to face Dani who was sat up in bed. “Mornin” Jamie said in a deep, husky voice that Dani had never heard before and it sent a wave of heat straight between her legs. 

“Good morning” Dani said and turned to face Jamie as Jamie’s hand reached up to stroke her cheek. 

“You’re so beautiful in the morning” Jamie said, her voice still sounding the same. Jamie pulled Dani’s face down towards her and met her lips halfway. They both hummed into the kiss and Dani quickly pulled away before things got too heated. 

“I have to go, Jamie” Dani said pulling her head away from Jamie who had tried to reconnect their lips. 

“Why?” Jamie said, her face full of concern. 

Seeing this Dani quickly cupped her hands around Jamie’s face and kissed her forehead softly, “I have a dress fitting at 10”. 

Jamie groaned, “Can’t you stay a little longer?”. 

The pout on Jamie’s face and her knitted eyebrows made Dani feel guilty for having to leave so soon. “I can stay a little longer but then I really have to go, you know what my Mom’s like, if I miss this appointment, I’ll never hear the end of it” Dani said, laying back down and wrapping her arms around Jamie. 

“Specially is she found out I was the cause”. 

Dani huffed and chuckled, “Y’know the reason she doesn’t like you is because you’re always right and you know that you’re always right?” Dani said as she placed a kiss on Jamie’s collarbone. 

Jamie chuckled, “Well I'm only always right because she’s always wrong”. 

Dani laughed, “You’re not wrong there. Bet your glad you don’t have to sit through this wedding, aren’t you?”. 

“Well, who says I'm not sitting through it? I got an invite remember?” Jamie said smirking. 

“Yeah, but you aren’t actually going, are you?” Dani chuckled whilst drawing small circles on Jamie’s back. 

“Don’t ya want to be my date? Have someone to keep ya company and stop ya from wanting to pull your hair out?”. 

“Really?” Dani said, sitting up slightly so she could look Jamie in the eyes, “You want me to be your date to my Mom’s wedding? You really don’t have to do that. Please save yourself, I don’t want you to torture yourself just to keep me company”. 

“I want to” Jamie said seriously, “Plus, your only here for a weekend and I want to spend as much time with you as possible before ya leave me again”. 

“Well…” Dani said hesitantly, “You could always… come with me?”. 

“Where? To the wedding? I already said I would” Jamie said, a little confused as to what the blonde meant. 

“No, I mean… back to England”. 

“Poppins, I… I couldn’t, I-”. 

Dani sat up a little more to get a better look at Jamie’s face, “Why not? You said it yourself you have been putting it off and you’ve always wanted to go so now’s your opportunity. Come with me. Take a leap of faith Jamie”. 

Jamie didn’t know what to say, she just laid there in silence for a while. “I, Dani… But it’s your thing, you did it to escape, to get away from all the shit that happened here. I don’t want to intrude on that”. 

“Jamie,” Dani said, sitting up in bed now, keeping the duvet wrapped around her bare chest as to not let the cold air touch her warm skin, “You could never intrude. I didn’t leave here to get away from you, God Jamie you’re the last person I would ever want to get away from. Jamie, you were the only person I have thought about over the past year. I couldn’t do anything without thinking about you, I would be doing something random or I would see certain things and instantly think of you. God, every time I poorly made a cup of tea, I would think about you. Jamie, look… you don’t have to come with me and don’t feel any pressure to but, you’ve always wanted to leave Iowa and go to England and now you have the perfect excuse. And if it turns out you don’t like it, that’s fine, you can go somewhere else, go on your own little adventure somewhere, but please, just think about it, yeah?”. 

Jamie didn’t need to think about it really, she knew her answer, her answer was yes, a million times yes. “Yes” Jamie said. 

“Yes what?” Dani asked. 

“Yes, I’ll go with you”. 

“Really?”. 

“Yes, but if ya get sick of me or want me to leave or anything like that, please just tell me”. Jamie said, wanting to make sure she wasn’t going to upset the balance of Dani’s new life across the pond. 

“Jamie,” Dani said, moving herself to straddle Jamie and sit on her lap, “I will never get sick of you, I promise”. 

Dani pressed a small kiss on Jamie’s lips. Both women hummed into it and soon the small innocent kiss had turned hot and heated. Dani’s hips were rolling and pressing down onto Jamie and both women were letting out small, quiet, breathy moans. “Fuck” Dani said as she noticed the time on the clock, “I gotta go”. Jamie groaned as Dani leapt off her lap and ran around the room, picking up and putting on her clothes. “Later, I promise” Dani said kissing Jamie’s forehead. 

Dani made it to the dress fitting appointment on time and her Mother was there to greet her at the door. “Danielle” she said as a flustered looking Dani jogged up to meet her, “You look rough, where did you spend the night, I noticed you weren’t in your bed? I was nice of you to tell me that you weren’t coming home”. 

Dani just rolled her eyes, “I was at Jamie’s”. 

“Oh, I thought I could smell smoke. She’s a bad influence that women, I’m glad you’re away from her now though so she can't persuade you to start smoking or God forbid, something even worse”. 

Dani chuckled, if only her Mom knew that Jamie had just agreed to go and live with her in England, she would probably faint on the spot. 

The dress fitting went well, or as well as it could have done. Dani’s Mother had made a few condescending remarks but overall, Dani’s blood didn’t boil too much. 

“We’ll have to be slightly late for the rehearsal dinner as we need to take you home to put you in a nice dress or something, you can't be wearing last night’s clothes” her Mother had said as they were driving to the rehearsal dinner. 

Dani just rolled her eyes as her Mother scanned her eyes over what Dani was wearing. In fact, not all her clothes were ones she had worn yesterday, in the frenzy of picking up clothes to put on in Jamie’s dark bedroom, she had actually picked up a couple of items of Jamie’s clothes and had put them on instead of her own. 

Dani giggled as she shimmied out of Jamie’s panties that she had accidentally put on this morning, thinking that they were her own, whilst she was scrambling through her suitcase to find something acceptable to wear for the rehearsal dinner. 

Once she found a nice dress, she quickly threw it on and headed back to her Mother who was waiting, stone-faced in the car, the engine still running. “Took you long enough” her Mother had said once Dani got herself back in the car. 

It was then when her phone pinged. She looked down to see a message from Jamie: ‘How’s the dress fitting going? How many times has Mumsey made you want to kill her yet? I'm guessing at least 10. Also, you still serious about this whole moving to England with you thing??’. 

Dani chuckled to herself and tried to hide the smile on her lips from her Mother who was sat next to her. She replied: ‘Dress fits very well and Mom is in a surprisingly better mood than she was yesterday, but she’s still managed to make me want to kill her a few times, so we’ll see how the rehearsal dinner goes. Also, I’m very serious about the whole moving to England with me thing if you still are. I’d love to be able to wake up next to you every morning like we did today’. 

Not long after another text appeared on Dani’s phone: ‘Can't wait to see you in that dress tomorrow then when I’m ya date to the wedding. Also, can't wait to take it off you too! ;) And there would be nothing I would love more than to wake up next to you every morning Poppins, can’t wait. Hope rehearsal dinner goes well and you don’t end up killing Mumsey!'. Dani couldn’t help the huge toothy grin that appeared on her face as she read Jamie’s text. 

“What you smiling at?” Dani’s Mom said, turning to try and look at Dani’s phone. 

Dani locked her phone and simply replied, “Nothing”. 

“You don’t lie very well do you Danielle?” her Mom shot back. Dani didn’t say anything, her mind was too busy imagining waking up to Jamie in her bed in England every morning and Jamie ripping her dress off of her tomorrow. 

The rehearsal dinner was painfully slow. Her Mother had invited a few friends and family members who Dani hadn’t seen in years, so the dinner was full of uncomfortable private questions directed at Dani. She had plastered a fake smile on her lips and politely answered the questions directed at her, not fully giving the people the responses they were looking for. 

As her Mother took over the conversation, Dani sat back and imagined what Jamie would be doing right now. She would love nothing more than to leave this dinner and go and have dinner somewhere nice with Jamie. Her and Jamie had never been on a real date before and Dani couldn’t wait to take Jamie out and make her feel special. 

Her mind wondered throughout the whole dinner, dipping in and out of the conversation. Jamie hadn’t texted her, she was probably just being polite, but Dani wished she had, it would give her something other than the dinner to focus on. 

After what had felt like hours, the rehearsal dinner had come to an end and Dani was free to leave, or so she thought. “Danielle, I spoke to Judy earlier and she would really like to see you and I suggested we meet her after the rehearsal dinner had finished”. 

Dani froze. All the colour drained from her face and her palms started to sweat. She couldn’t handle seeing Judy, not without preparation at least. Dani stuttered before she found the words, “I, erm, said I would, erm, meet Jamie. Yeah Jamie, erm tonight”. 

“You saw her yesterday, did you? Surely you don’t need to see her again”. 

Dani could feel her chest tightening and her breathing becoming shaky and shallow, “I, erm I promised, but tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll meet Judy. She’s going to the wedding, right?”. 

Her Mother huffed and turned away from Dani, “Yeah she’s going tomorrow. Make sure you talk to her though, I promised her you would, stop putting it off Danielle, you’re hurting her feelings”. 

Dani left as quickly as she could. She left the restaurant and walked aimlessly down the street with no end destination in mind. Her hands and legs were shaking, and her breathing was quick and shallow. She reached for her phone and rang Jamie. 

“Jamie” Dani said as soon as she answered the phone. 

Jamie instantly knew something was wrong. “You okay, Dani?”. 

“No, I, Jamie, I need you, I don’t think, I can, breath” Dani said running her hand across her tight chest. 

“Okay, I’m on my way, just focus on my voice” Jamie said calmly. “Where are you?” 

“Outside the, erm, the restaurant”. 

“Okay Dani, just try and breath how I tell you to okay?”. 

“Okay” Dani said shakily. 

Jamie calmly directed Dani through a breathing exercise that she had learnt for when Dani had panic attacks. Jamie’s calm instructions helped Dani to slow her breathing and ease the tightness in her chest. 

It wasn’t long before Jamie’s truck pulled up next to Dani. Jamie quickly climbed out and ran towards Dani. “Dani? You okay?”. Dani didn’t say anything, she just wrapped her arms around Jamie and cried softly into her neck. 

“Shhh, it’s okay baby, I'm here, you’re okay” Jamie said, rubbing Dani’s back and swaying them softly. 

After a few minutes, Dani’s cries stopped, and she pulled out of Jamie’s embrace. “Jamie” Dani said softly “Thank you for coming”. 

“It's okay, baby, what happened?”. 

Dani took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “My Mom almost took me to see Judy”. 

“Shit” Jamie said, “Why?”. 

“I don’t know, she said something about her promising her that I’ll go talk to her. I don’t know, she just said it after the dinner and took me to her car and I don’t really remember what I said but I just left and then I couldn’t breathe, and I rang you”. Dani’s speech increased in pace along with her breathing as she spoke. 

Jamie just pulled the shaking blonde into her again in hopes that it would calm her down. “Shhh, it's okay, it’s okay” Jamie whispered calmly into Dani’s ear, “You don’t have to talk to her if you don’t want to, it’s okay”. 

A few tears rolled down Dani’s cheeks and onto Jamie’s t-shirt. “I just don’t think I can face her Jamie, I broke her heart” Dani whispered into Jamie’s neck. 

“Shh, it’s okay baby” Jamie said, slowly rocking the pair of them side to side, hoping it would sooth Dani in some way. Jamie didn’t really know what to say to Dani, she couldn’t imagine how it would feel to see Eddie’s Mother again after everything that had happened. 

They stood in silence for a while with Jamie rubbing one hand gently across Dani’s back and the other one placed delicately on the back of her head, holding her close. When Dani shivered, Jamie led them to her truck and helped Dani get in before closing the door and walking around to the other side and getting in herself. 

After a few moments of silence Jamie said, “Y’know Dani, it might quite healing, to talk to Judy, I know you might not want to and I’m not asking you to do anything you don’t feel comfortable with but, my therapist got me to do the same with me Mum. I know it’s a completely different situation but in a lot of ways it actually helped me y’know, it closed a few doors, answered a few questions. It felt good, helped me move on”. 

Dani looked over at Jamie as she spoke and took in what she had said. She sat for a moment just thinking. “It’s not that I don’t want to see her, I'm just scared. We haven’t spoken since I left and I just, I don’t think I can look her in the eyes. Jamie, what I did to her was awful. Her son died and I just left. I left without saying anything. It broke her heart. How can I look at her in the eyes after that?”. 

Tears were back streaming down Dani’s rosy cheeks once again, but she didn’t cry, her body was too tired for that. 

“Dani, can I let you in on a secret?” Jamie said, her voice whispering. Dani just nodded. “I’ve spoken to Judy a few times since y’know, everything happened and Dani, she’s not angry at you or upset, she just misses you that’s all. And she doesn’t blame you in the slightest for leaving, she completely understands”. 

Dani didn’t know what to say, for the past year she had convinced herself that Judy hates her and blames her for everything that happened and now Jamie is telling her the exact opposite. “Really?” Dani whispered, barely audible. 

“Yeah” Jamie said reaching her hand across the centre console to hold Dani’s. 

Jamie’s thumb rubbed small circles on the back of Dani’s cold soft hand while Dani sat in silence, deep in her own thoughts. Dani looked tired, so tired. Jamie had only ever seen her look this tired once before and it was after Eddie had died. Her eyes were heavy, and her body lacked enough energy to even sit up properly. It pained Jamie to see her like this again, it broke her heart. 

“Can you erm, take me to Judy’s?” Dani whispered after a few minutes. 

“Of course” Jamie said, bringing Dani’s hand up to her lips and kissing it gently. 

The drive was short and filled with silence. Dani sat in the front seat trying to convince herself that this wasn’t a bad idea. She had heard what Jamie had said and it made her feel a little better about seeing Judy, but she still wasn’t convinced but she knew Jamie was right, talking to Judy would help her close a lot of doors that were currently wide open.

Jamie’s truck came to a stop and Dani lifted her head to look around. They were outside Judy’s house, right next door to her Mother’s house. Memories came flooding back to Dani of her and Eddie playing on the swing set and running around the well-maintained lawn on a summer’s afternoon. She missed those days with Eddie when everything was simple. There were no expectations, no pressure, just freedom. Dani hadn’t found that same amount of freedom she experienced here when she was little until she had moved to England. 

“I’ll wait here, just call me if you need me” Jamie said, her hand finding Dani’s bare knee where her dress had rode up. 

Dani nodded then said, “Can I kiss you?”. 

Jamie chuckled, “Course Poppins, whenever ya want, don’t need to ask, I already told ya that”. 

Dani smiled. It was a tired, weary smile but a smile, nonetheless. “I love you” Dani said, the worlds just naturally falling from her lips. She had said the words a few times to Jamie over the years, because she did love her, but she hadn’t said those words since their relationship had changed. 

“I love you too, baby” Jamie said, leaning over and placing a gentle kiss on Dani’s lips. 

Dani’s hands reached out and placed themselves softly onto Jamie’s cheeks. The kiss said everything neither of them could. They both pulled away and smiled widely at each other, both of them understanding that something significant had changed in that moment between them. 

“I’m right here” Jamie said softly, “I’ll always be right here”. 

Dani nodded and her trembling hands opened the truck door. 

Her weak and delicate frame walked up the path and knocked on the front door. Jamie held her breath as she waited for Judy to answer. She released that breath once the door swung open and Judy pulled Dani into a huge embrace. 

Dani’s palms were sweating and her whole body was shaking as she made her way up the path that led to Judy’s front door. She knocked softly, partly in hopes that Judy wouldn’t hear her knocking and she could turn around and leave but a few seconds later, the door swung open. 

“Oh, Danielle” Judy said so tenderly and opened her arms for Dani to hug her and Dani did just that. She wrapped her arms around the woman in front of her and melted into the embrace. Dani always felt safe in Judy’s arms, ever since she was little. If anything bad happened, Judy was the first person she went running to and Judy would always resolve whatever it was. The same went for good news too, Dani would always go running straight to Judy to tell her and was always met with praise and congratulations. Dani couldn’t even imagine doing any of that with her own Mother, they just didn’t have that kind of bond. 

Judy let go of Dani after a minute or so of just holding her and led her into the house Dani knew like the back of her hand. “Oh Danielle, I’ve missed you so much” Judy said lowering herself into an armchair and gesturing for Dani to sit on the sofa opposite her, “How have you been, sweetheart?”. 

“Good” Dani replied, sitting down hesitantly on the sofa, her head hung low trying to avoid eye contact with Judy as well as the pictures of Eddie she knew were all around the room.

“So, England, what’s that like? I heard you’re an au pair now” Judy asked, trying to get Dani talking. 

“England’s nice, different, but nice. It’s starting to feel a little like home” Dani said quietly. What she said wasn’t exactly a lie, but it also wasn’t the truth either, she adored England and it definitely felt like home, it had done ever since she arrived, but she didn’t want to upset Judy in anyway by saying how great her life had started to feel once she had left Iowa, “And yeah, I got a job working as an au pair in the country to two lovely children”. 

“Wow” Judy said, “You must love it there right, in the countryside, bet it’s so peaceful”. 

“Yeah, yeah it really is. Allows you time to think” Dani replied softly, her eyes watching her fingers nervously pick at the skin of the palm of her hand. 

A silence fell over the room for a few moments before Judy spoke, “You know Danielle, I don’t blame you for what happened to Eddie… and you shouldn’t blame yourself either. I still love you like a daughter, I always will”. 

Tears fell down Dani’s cheeks as Judy spoke. She never once looked her in the eyes, but she could feel Judy’s eyes burning holes into her. “Really?” Dani replied softly and looked up to meet Judy’s gaze. 

“Oh Danielle” Judy said looking at Dani’s red, puffy face with tears rolling thick and fast down her cheeks. She stood up and walked over to her, “Can I hug you?”. Dani just nodded and stood up to meet Judy. The hug was tight and comforting and said a million things neither of them could. 

After Dani’s tears had dried and her breathing had evened out, their conversation became less awkward and more like how their conversations used to be. “I don’t want to pry Danielle, but” Judy said. 

“Please call me Dani, Judy, Danielle has always felt way too formal”. 

“Sorry, Dani it is then. It might take a little getting used too but I can do that”. 

Dani smiled softly, Danielle was something everyone in Iowa called her, except Jamie, and it had always felt weird to her so when she moved to England she had decided to just go by Dani. It felt better, more her. 

“Anyway, I don’t mean to pry Dani, but I saw you and Jamie outside, before you came in”. 

Dani’s heart started pounding, she knew exactly where this was going. 

“I saw you kiss, and I just wanted to say, well, I don’t know really but… I’m glad you’re moving on, finding someone after Eddie you know, it makes me happy to see you happy, Dani, I just wanted you to know that”. 

Dani just sat there in silence, staring at Judy. This wasn’t what she had expected her to say and it had taken her by surprise, but she smiled softly at Judy, trying to show her how much her words meant to her. 

“You know she’s really missed you this past year. She drives by here sometimes, I don’t know what for but she always slows down as she passes here”. 

Dani didn’t know that, and a twinge of guilt stabbed her in the gut. 

“She came by one day, not long after you had left actually, and I was out in the garden and I waved her down and asked if she wanted to join me for dinner. After that, well, we made it a regular thing. I’d cook her a meal and she’d help me with my garden, she’d do the jobs I couldn’t do”. 

Dani was shocked. Jamie had not told her anything about this. 

“Oh” Dani said, not sure of what to respond. 

“Suppose we both missed you so having each other to talk to was nice”. 

“I’m sorry” Dani said, “For leaving the way I did, and not calling you, I-”. 

“No need to apologise, sweetheart, I understand why you did it, you just needed time away and that’s okay, putting yourself first isn’t something you need to apologise for Dani”. 

Judy always knew how to make Dani feel better and Jamie was right, talking to Judy was starting to close some doors in Dani that had just been swinging wide open inside of her. 

Dani came strolling down the path that led to Judy’s house around an hour later. Her heart was full, and her body felt light. All the pain and the guilt she had been holding onto for the past year had all disappeared, leaving Dani feeling like she was so weightless, like she could float away any second. 

She opened the truck door which startled Jamie who had not seen Dani coming. “Fucking hell! Jesus Christ, Dani” Jamie said jumping and clutching her chest. 

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry Jamie, I didn’t mean to scare you” Dani said chuckling a little as she pulled herself into the front seat. 

Jamie scanned Dani’s face and she could sense a shift in Dani, the pain behind her eyes had gone and her shoulders were no longer tense. “So… how did it go?” Jamie asked. 

“Good, yeah, you were right”. 

“Right about what?”. 

“About speaking to Judy and how it could be healing. I feel so much… lighter now. Thank you, Jamie” Dani said smiling and reaching out for Jamie’s hands. She squeezed them tightly and kissed the back of one. 

“Well, I’m glad it all worked out well” Jamie said, smiling softly at the blonde. 

There was a moment of silence before Dani spoke, “We should get dinner. Are you hungry? When’s the last time you ate?”. Jamie chuckled at the series of questions, 

“Where do ya want to go? Usual place?”. 

“Yeah” Dani said, sitting back in her seat and putting her seatbelt on. 

The drive to their favourite diner was short. Every drive really in this town was short. The town was small and compact and didn’t really have a wide choice of any establishment to go to. 

Dani and Jamie had been going to the same diner ever since they had met. The first place they had come together was the diner. Jamie had said she wanted to go get a milkshake and Dani had taken her here. They had sat in a booth at the back, a milkshake each, learning everything they could about the other and since that day, they had always sat in the same booth together. 

Jamie’s truck pulled up in the parking lot and they both got out, walking hand in hand into the diner. They had sat down in their booth and ordered the same meal they usually did. “Look” Dani said, her fingers tracing over their initials in the corner of the table. Jamie laughed and did the same. 

“I remember when you did that” Dani said, reaching her fingers the small distance to touch Jamie’s. 

“You were so angry at me for vandalising” Jamie laughed, “You swore we would be banned”. 

Dani chuckled, “Yeah I was, I couldn’t believe you had done it. You just pulled out a little knife from your pocked and began carving away, I was in shock”. 

There was a moment of silence as both women just stared at each other and held the other’s hands. “I’ve really missed you” Jamie said, squeezing Dani’s hands. 

“I've missed you too” Dani whispered softly. 

“Well, we won't have to miss each other again so” Jamie said, a small smile making its way across her lips. 

“Yeah,” Dani said, squeezing Jamie’s hand, “Are you excited?”. 

“Yeah, Jamie said, her smile growing wider, “Yeah, I am. I’ve dreamt about leaving for so long and I just, I can't believe it’s actually happening… and it’s happening with you”. 

The waitress brought their drinks which ruined the moment slightly. They pulled their hands away from each other’s and reached for their drinks. 

“So, today, while you were busy,” Jamie said, picking up her glass to drink her milkshake, “I booked my flight, good thing it wasn’t busy and there was a spare seat next to yours too”. 

Dani chuckled, “Almost like it was fate”. 

“Yeah,” Jamie smiled back, “Also found a buyer for me truck”. 

“You’re selling your truck?” Dani asked a little shocked. 

“Well, I can't take it to England, can I?”. 

“But it’s your pride and joy” Dani protested. 

“Yeah, she was, but she is also very old and very rusty and probably won't last too long. Plus, I can put the money towards a new truck in England, can't it?”. 

“Who did you sell it too anyway?” Dani asked, wondering who would want to buy a truck that’s basically falling apart. Jamie had refused to buy a new truck years ago as she was saving all the money she had so she could leave Iowa and start a new life. 

“Oh, a lad on me street, he’s just got his licence so was lookin’ to buy something. Always had his eye on me truck so thought I’d see if he wanted it”. Dani smiled sweetly at Jamie and lent over the table to kiss her cheek. She couldn’t believe that this was really happening. 

They spent hours at the diner, like they used to do when they were teenagers with no real responsibilities. They made their way back to Jamie’s apartment once they realised that they should probably go to sleep since they would have an early start tomorrow. 

“Here” Jamie said throwing a bed shirt at Dani who was on the other side of the room. 

“Thanks for letting me stay over again” Dani said, pulling her dress off and slipping the t-shirt over her head. 

“No problem. I mean we are kinda like, well, erm, we are…” Jamie drifted off, not really knowing what to say. 

“Girlfriends?” Dani suggested, smiling gently at Jamie. 

“Only if ya want to be” Jamie said. 

Dani started walking over to Jamie, “Yeah, yeah I do, if you want to be too?”. 

Jamie closed the gap between them and pulled Dani into her and kissed her lips sweetly, “There’s nothing I would love more”. 

They spent a few minutes kissing each other tenderly, caressing the other’s face and savouring every moment. Dani was the first to pull away and took Jamie by the hand, leading her towards the bed, “Come cuddle?” Dani asked softly. 

Jamie just smiled widely as Dani got into her bed and opened her arms out for Jamie to climb into. Jamie rested her head on Dani’s chest and wrapped her arms around her. Dani kissed the top of Jamie’s head, rubbing her nose into her soft brown curls and softly began drawing circles on her back with her fingers. 

They laid like that for a few minutes, just enjoying being close to the other before Dani broke the silence, “Hey, what’s all this about you and Judy having dinner every week together?”. 

Jamie looked up at Dani, trying to read her expression. “Well, it kinda just happened” Jamie said, still not fulling knowing what Dani was thinking. 

“You said the other day you’d only spoken to her a few times, why didn’t you tell me the truth?”. 

“I don’t know really, I wasn’t sure how you would feel about it. Plus, I didn’t think it was the right time to tell you I’ve basically been dating your ex-Mother-in-Law who you had a panic attack over seeing, thought I’d bring it up later”. 

Dani chuckled softly and kissed the top of Jamie’s head, “I suppose it wasn’t the right time was it? She also mentioned that you, erm, you drive past my Mom’s house sometimes” Dani said softly, running her fingers thought Jamie’s hair. 

“Yeah… I dunno why I do it but sometimes, I just find myself driving past. I don’t mean to go that way but sometimes I think I just go into autopilot and then I end up there. Sometimes I used to think I’d find you there, just sat on your porch reading a book or something. It’s stupid really, isn’t it?”. 

A tear left Dani’s eye as Jamie spoke, “No it’s not. I’d probably do the same thing if I were in your position. Judy said you helped her a lot, with the whole Eddie thing and me leaving and stuff”. 

Jamie just nodded, “I think we both helped each other if I’m being honest. Neither of us had anyone else that we could really talk to, so we just banded together really, helped each other out a bit”. 

“Thanks,” Dani said softly, “for helping her. I know it should have been me but I'm glad she had you and you had her”. Jamie just kissed Dani’s chest and pulled her in closer. 

A few minutes of silence followed before Jamie said, “Best get some sleep before the big day tomorrow”. 

Dani chuckled and sighed, “I hope it goes smoothly, I don’t think I can handle anything other than that”. 

Jamie lifted her head up, “Well, if it doesn’t, I’ll be there, okay?”. 

Dani smiled, “Thanks for coming with me, I honestly don’t think I could do it by myself”. 

“You’re very welcome, Miss Clayton, I’m glad to be of service” Jamie chuckled, then connected their lips. 

They both shuffled around under the duvet for a few seconds, trying to get comfy. Jamie ended up behind Dani with her arm wrapped around her waist. Her hand shimmied under the t-shirt Dani was wearing and placed her hand on Dani’s bare stomach and she softly drew small circles on the skin underneath her fingers. Dani let of a soft sign and lent into Jamie and placed her hand on top of the one on her stomach. 

“I love you” Dani whispered into the cold air of Jamie’s apartment. 

“I love you too” Jamie whispered into Dani’s ear and then kissed her shoulder softly. 

“Goodnight, Jamie” Dani said. 

“Goodnight, Dani” Jamie said, pulling Dani closer into her and kissing her cheek softly.


	3. The Final Night

“Fuck” Jamie groaned as the high-pitched ringing filled the room. She buried her head under the duvet as Dani waved her hand aimlessly around behind her to try and find her phone that was the source of the noise. Eventually, Dani’s hand landed on the cold metal of her phone and managed to press the answer button. 

“Hello” Dani said, her voice quiet and hoarse. 

“Well good morning to you too, Danielle” the voice on the other end of the phone said. 

Dani shot up in bed at the sound of her Mother’s voice and scrambled out of the duvet as quickly as she could as if her Mother had just caught her in bed with Jamie. 

“Are you dressed and ready to go?” Dani’s Mother said through the phone. 

“Erm, no, not yet, the wedding isn’t until 1, I’ve got plenty of time” Dani said stood in the middle of Jamie’s bedroom with one hand in her hair and the other one pressing the phone to her ear. 

Jamie pulled her head from under the duvet and her eyes landed on Dani. Jamie could see the stress on Dani’s face as she spoke. Jamie hated Dani’s Mother for this, for how she always seemed to cause Dani’s blood pressure to skyrocket and her shoulders tense, even if she wasn’t in the room, just the thought of her was enough to send Dani into a panic. Jamie heard Dani agree with whatever her Mother was saying on the other end of the phone and once the short conversation was over, Dani hung up as fast as she could and sighed loudly. 

“What she want this early in the mornin?” Jamie said as she turned over onto her side to face Dani. 

“Nothing really, just making sure I hadn’t run off back to England probably” Dani replied, her voice was soft and weary, but she chuckled ever so slightly, “Part of me wishes I had”. 

Jamie opened her arms wide gesturing for Dani to come and cuddle with her. Dani smiled softly at Jamie and made her way over to her and wrapped herself up into her arms. “Hey, not long now Poppins and we’re out of here, never to return” Jamie said chuckling slightly and burying her nose into Dani’s soft hair, “You’ve got this, Dani”. 

Dani sighed and buried her face into Jamie’s chest and hummed. “I can’t wait until I’m back home” Dani said softly, “And back home with you too”. 

“Can’t wait either, Poppins, never been so excited in me whole life” Jamie whispered softly. 

The pair laid for a few minutes in silence before Dani sat up a little in Jamie’s arms and said, “What are you wearing to the wedding?”. 

Jamie laughed a little and said, “Got a little something planned but you’re gunna have to wait, it’s a surprise”. 

“A surprise?” Dani asked, lifting her head up a little more to look into Jamie’s eyes better and raising her eyebrow. 

“Yeah” Jamie said and winked at Dani who unconsciously took her bottom lip between her teeth as she imagined what Jamie could be wearing to the wedding. 

“Well... I can’t wait then” Dani said and kissed Jamie’s lips softly and as she pulled away, she took Jamie’s bottom lip between her teeth and pulled gently. Dani’s simple action elicited a deep moan from Jamie which took them both by surprise a little. 

Dani chuckled and leant forward and whispered in Jamie’s ear, “How about we save that for later, yeah?”. 

Jamie smirked and whispered back “Well, you said it yourself, the wedding doesn’t start until one, we’ve got plenty of time”. Dani giggled and got up and straddled Jamie. 

Jamie naturally placed her hands on Dani’s thighs that were on either side of her and found their way to her ass. Dani bent down and kissed Jamie softly, but the kisses quickly became hot and desperate. Dani’s hips rocked gently, and Jamie matched the pace with her own hips. The lack of friction frustrated Dani after a while and she quickly shifted positions, so she was straddling one of Jamie’s thighs. 

Dani kissed her way down Jamie’s neck, licking and sucking as she went. “Hey, got a wedding to attend so maybe hold off on leaving marks, yeah?” Jamie giggled as Dani bit into her neck which caused Jamie to let out a breathy moan. 

“Sure you want me to stop doing that, baby?” Dani whispered as she bit Jamie’s earlobe. 

“Not really” Jamie said as her hands pulled Dani’s face closer into her neck. 

“Didn’t think so” Dani smirked. 

Dani being in control turned Jamie on way more than she would like to admit and seeing Dani this desperate was fogging her brain. Dani’s hips kept rocking back and forth on Jamie’s thigh and Jamie could feel Dani’s wetness on her skin as it soaked through her panties. 

Jamie shifted so her centre was on Dani’s thigh in between her legs and she slowly started to grind herself on it. This action caused a loud moan to fall from Dani’s mouth as she felt what Jamie was doing. 

“Sure you want this to be how our second time together goes?” Jamie said softly. She didn’t exactly think Dani would want her second time with a woman to be her dry humping Jamie’s thigh but the look on Dani’s face said otherwise. 

“I don’t mind, I think it’s kinda hot” Dani said as she continued her search for a release on Jamie’s tensed thigh, “But if you wanna change what we’re doing, by all means baby, please do”. 

Jamie stopped her grinding on Dani’s thigh and smirked. She quickly shot up from the bed and grabbed Dani and threw her onto the bed and straddled her hips. This quick skilful action took Dani by surprise, but she laughed loudly as she felt her back hitting the mattress and Jamie’s weight on top of her. 

“Let’s get these off ya” Jamie whispered in a voice laced with desire. Jamie quickly helped Dani out of the t-shirt she was wearing and then pulled her soaked panties off of her and threw them on the floor. Dani giggled as she felt the cold air hit her warm skin. 

“Now you” Dani said, gesturing for Jamie to take her clothes of too which Jamie did within a second. 

“Fuck Dani, you’re so beautiful” Jamie said as she kissed her way up Dani’s now naked stomach and up to her lips. 

Dani’s stomach was doing flips as Jamie’s lips touched her skin and the ache between her legs only grew more intense. Jamie could sense Dani was in need of some sort of release as her hips were rocking back and forth under her. Jamie moved down Dani’s body and placed herself in between Dani’s legs and Dani automatically placed her legs on Jamie’s shoulders. Jamie’s breath hit Dani’s centre which caused her to wriggle around in search of contact. 

“Please Jamie” Dani said, and Jamie waited a few seconds longer before she slid her tongue between Dani’s soaked folds. 

Dani’s breath hitched in the back of her throat at the contact and her hands made their way into Jamie’s soft, messy curls. Jamie’s tongue quickly got to work, licking and sucking and exploring and it wasn’t long before Dani was screaming above her. “Jamie, fuck, Jamie, oh god, please don’t stop, Jamie, I’m co-”. Dani couldn’t finish her sentence as a wave a pure pleasure hit her, and her legs began to shake. 

After Jamie had helped Dani ride out her orgasm, she slowly made her way up her body, kissing every inch of skin that she could. Dani giggled softly as Jamie kissed her lips and she tasted herself on Jamie’s tongue. 

It wasn’t long before Dani’s hands began wondering over Jamie’s stomach and down to her centre. “Jamie, baby, you’re so... ready” Dani whispered into Jamie’s ear as she lay on her back with Dani laid on her side next to her. “What can I say? Making ya cum just,” Jamie said as she bit her lip, “just turns me on... a lot”. Dani giggled and her cheeks flushed brightly. 

Dani’s fingers began circling Jamie’s clit which caused Jamie to let out small moans and groans. Dani sucked on Jamie’s neck and bit her ear lobe as she began to quicken her pace. Jamie’s legs were instinctively spread wide and she was gripping Dani’s arm with her hand. 

“Inside?” Jamie asked, unsure if Dani wanted to or not but Dani quickly responded to the request and slid a single finger into Jamie. 

Jamie’s eyes quickly shut as she moaned and began rocking her hips to Dani’s pace. Dani could sense this wasn’t enough and slid another finger inside of her. “God Dani, keep going baby, that’s it”. 

Dani increased her pace a little and Jamie’s hips were there to meet her. Jamie lowered her hand and circled her own clit as Dani kept up her pace. Dani could sense Jamie was getting closer as her fingernails were digging deeper into her arm and she knew they were going to leave marks. 

“Dani” Jamie moaned out loudly as her hips began to rock erratically. “Dani, baby I’m so close, don’t stop, oh God, Dani” Jamie said as her whole body tensed under Dani’s and her legs began to shake. The grip Jamie had on Dani’s arm became tighter as Jamie rode out her orgasm. Dani felt Jamie’s body relax under her and she slowly pulled her fingers out of her. 

“Was that good baby?” Dani whispered into Jamie’s ear and Jamie’s only response was to nod, her body still trying to recover. Jamie laid there for a few moments steadying her breath as Dani placed soft loving kisses on her chest and face. 

“Could get used to this in the mornin” Jamie said, rolling onto her side to kiss Dani’s lips. 

“Mmh, yeah, me too” Dani said as she softly kissed her back. 

After around half an hour of soft, gentle kisses and wondering hands, Dani had to get ready for the wedding. She quickly had a shower, much to the disappointment of Jamie who had joined her but was soon left alone as Dani got out and dried off. 

“I’m sorry baby, but my Mom wants me there early to ‘help her’. I don’t know why, she’s never wanted my help before, so I don’t see why she needs it now”. 

Jamie just snorted as she listened to Dani complain and she soon joined her in the bedroom. “So, weddings at 1 yeah? What time do ya want me to be there for?”. 

“As early as possible” Dani sighed as she wrapped her arms around Jamie. 

“What time is as early as possible?” Jamie chuckled. 

“I’ll text you when I’m free?” Dani replied, still not letting go of Jamie. 

“Sounds like a plan Poppins”. 

“Maybe we’ll get some free time before the wedding, so I get to see what your wearing... and maybe take it off you too”. Dani whispered into Jamie’s ear then licked her neck at the side of her ear. 

“Fuck” Jamie breathed out, a wave a heat suddenly settling between her legs. “Well, gunna have to leave that thought there because your gunna be late” Jamie said chuckling and pulling herself out of Dani’s embrace before they got too carried away. 

“So, I’ll text you yeah?” Dani asked giggling as she straightened herself out before heading for the door. 

Jamie just nodded, “See ya later Poppins”. 

The wedding preparations were as boring as Dani had imagined. She was made to help set the tables and sort out the bridesmaids as well as help with her Moms dress fitting. All through the preparations, her mind wondered to Jamie and what their life would be like together in England. 

Dani’s life was going so smoothly across the pond and she knew Jamie would easily slip straight into it perfectly. Whilst Dani had a few minutes break, she quickly called Hannah, Bly’s housekeeper. “Hey, Hannah” Dani said cheerfully through the phone. 

“Miss Clayton, to what do we owe this pleasure, how is your trip going?” Hannah replied and Dani could hear Flora and Mile’s voices behind her. 

“It’s going as well as could be expected, I was actually calling to ask if it would be okay if I have someone stay at the manor for a few days, kinda last minute changes to the plan” Dani said, trying to phrase the question in a way that wouldn’t give away too much. 

“Of course, you don’t need to ask darling, you know you can have guests. I’ll set about getting the spare bedroom ready, shall I?”. 

“Erm, no that’s alright Hannah, you don’t need to do that”. Dani said quickly. 

“No, it’s alright, it’s not a problem, I don’t mind”. 

Dani quickly cut Hannah off, “No honestly Hannah, the spare bedroom isn’t needed”. 

Hannah got the hint and smirked on the other end of the phone, “Okay dear, well, we look forward to welcoming you back, I hope the rest of your trip goes smoothly”. 

Dani smiled softly, “Thanks, me too. Can't wait to be back”. 

With that they said their goodbyes and Dani went in search of another task to do to keep her busy. 

“Oh Danielle, you look beautiful” Dani’s Mother said as she stood behind her daughter who was now wearing the dress for the wedding. 

“Thanks” Dani said, knowing full well her Mother didn’t really mean the words she had just said to her. 

Dani smoothed her hands over the dress and admired herself in the mirror. She smiled as she looked at herself, feeling suddenly quite confident and self-assured. She knew Jamie would love her in this dress and she couldn’t wait until Jamie’s hands were wondering all over her body. 

“What are these?” Dani’s Mother said, picking up her daughters’ arm and running her thumb over the nail marks that Jamie had left on her arm this morning. 

Dani quickly pulled her arm away and said, “Oh nothing”. Her voice came out panicked and flushed and her cheeks had begun to feel hot. 

Her Mother knew exactly what those marks were, and Dani knew her Mother knew but Dani was hoping that her Mother would not figure out who left those marks. “So, anything else you’d like me to help with?” 

Dani asked, trying to change the subject. “No, I think that’s it”. Dani smiled then politely excused herself and went to text Jamie. 

Jamie lit up when she saw her phone light up and Dani’s text appear: ‘Finally free, wanna come over ;)’. 

‘On my way, can't wait to see you ;)’ Jamie replied before making her way to her truck. Jamie had been busy packing all day but had been ready to leave half an hour ago, just in case Dani needed her there earlier. 

The drive to the wedding venue didn’t take long and before getting out of her truck, Jamie checked herself over one last time in the wingmirror and wondered into the venue to find Dani. 

It didn’t take long for them to find each other as Dani was stood just inside the doorway neatly sorting out the wedding programmes. As Dani looked up, she met Jamie’s gaze and they both took a minute to observe the other and what they were wearing. 

Dani was wearing a very flattering lilac silk dress that clung to every part of her body that it needed to, and Jamie suspected there should be complementary heals to go with the outfit, but Dani was barefooted, suggesting she probably discarded the heals somewhere in search of some comfort. As Jamie’s eyes slowly scanned Dani’s body, a small smirk formed on her lips. 

Whilst Jamie was scanning Dani’s body, Dani was doing the same to Jamie. Jamie was wearing a crisp white shirt that was tucked into high waisted black pants which were held up by braces that went over her shoulders and her outfit was completed with a large hat and a pair of boots. 

Dani instinctively bit her bottom lip seductively as she took in Jamie’s appearance. Sure, Dani had seen Jamie dress like this before, but it wasn’t very often and there was something about seeing her dressed like this this time that felt different. Jamie stepped closer to Dani and put her hands on her waist and whispered in her ear, “Fuck me Dani Clayton, you look gorgeous”. 

Dani giggled and wrapped her arms around Jamie’s neck and whispered, ‘You don’t look too bad yourself, Jamie Taylor”. 

Before they could kiss, they heard Dani’s Mother behind them clearing her throat and they both jumped away from each other and turned around. “Oh, hi Jamie, didn’t think I’d see you here today” Dani’s Mother said, her face void of any type of emotion. 

“Well, ya sent me an invitation so, thought I’d be polite and show up for the 4th time round y’know. Hopefully I’m ya good luck charm, might actually work out well this time” Jamie replied, trying hard not to smirk. 

Dani couldn’t help the smile that creeped onto her face as she watched her Mom listening to Jamie. She knew Jamie loved to wind her Mom up and she did it so well. 

Dani’s Mother gave Jamie a sour smile and turned to Dani, “Danielle, I just wanted to bring you these, you shouldn’t be walking around barefoot, it's very unhygienic” Dani’s Mother said, handing her daughter a pair of heals. 

“Oh, sorry, thanks” Dani replied quickly and took the shoes from her Mother and cursed herself for apologising when she didn’t need to. She was a fully grown adult with a life away from this place, yet she still instinctively apologised to her Mother when she made her feel bad. 

“Well, best be off then, got a wedding to get ready for” Dani’s Mother said, turning to walk away. She only made it a few steps before she turned around and said, “Oh, Jamie, darling, you might want to cover those up on your neck, they are a very unflattering look”. 

Dani’s eyes went wide as she saw the marks she had left on Jamie’s neck this morning that were now quite obvious. Dani cursed under her breath and hoped her Mother wouldn’t put two and two together, seeing nail marks on Dani’s arm and hickies on Jamie’s neck. 

When her Mother was out of sight, she dragged Jamie by the arm and into the bathroom. “Shit” Dani said as she pushed Jamie into ladies bathroom and locked the door, “We need to cover these up”. 

Jamie laughed, “Well, I told ya to maybe lay off the marks”. 

Jamie stopped laughing as she saw tears in Dani’s eyes. “Hey, Dani, what’s wrong?” Jamie said stepping closer to Dani and placing her hands gently on her cheeks, trying not to smudge her make-up. 

“She saw the marks on my arm too, what if she figures out we’re… together?” Dani said, a single tear rolling down her cheek. 

“Hey, don’t worry, she’s not gunna figure it out, and if she does, who cares? Plus, this time tomorrow, we’ll be on a flight out of here, never to be seen again” Jamie said, trying to make Dani laugh and she achieved her goal. 

Dani chuckled and wrapped her arms around Jamie, careful not to get make-up on her white shirt. Dani pulled away after a moment and reached into her purse and pulled out a small tube of foundation, “Here, let me try and cover these up for you”. 

Jamie laughed and held her shirt collar down as Dani rubbed a little foundation on the red marks on her neck. Jamie winced a little as Dani’s finger touched the sensitive skin. 

“Sorry” Dani said, kissing Jamie’s cheek. “There you go, like nothing ever happened” Dani said, standing back and admiring her work. Dani quickly rubbed a little of the foundation on the red nail marks in her arm then put the foundation away. 

“Hey,” Jamie said as Dani closed her purse, “Ya look hot in that dress by the way, didn’t get chance to tell ya before, kinda got rudely interrupted”. 

Dani smiled at Jamie through the mirror as she washed the foundation off her hands then dried them quickly. She stepped closer to Jamie and slid her fingers underneath Jamie’s braces to pull her closer into her. She kissed Jamie’s lips softly and slid her hands around Jamie’s waist. Dani pulled Jamie in even closer to her, so their hips were touching, and Jamie’s hands slid over the soft fabric of Dani’s dress and rested on her ass. 

“Think we have enough time?” Jamie said as she pulled away for air. 

Dani nodded quickly, “Doesn’t take me long with you”. 

Jamie smirked then lifted Dani up by her thighs and sat her on top of the counter next to the sink. 

Dani let out a soft moan as she watched Jamie bend down and lift the bottom of her dress up and bunch it up to her hips. 

Jamie smirked when she saw Dani wasn’t wearing any underwear. “Bold choice” Jamie said as she looked up at Dani who was looking down at her and biting her lip. 

“Knew you were coming so thought I wouldn’t bother, I knew you’d just ruin them anyways”. 

“Fuck” Jamie said and then proceeded to run her tongue threw Dani’s wet folds. “God your so wet, I haven’t even done anything to ya yet” Jamie said as she looked back up at Dani whose head was back, and her eyes closed. 

Jamie continued her work and within a few minutes, Dani’s thighs were tightening around her head and Dani was trying to hold back her screams. 

As soon as Jamie had finished her work, Dani jumped off the counter and pushed Jamie towards the wall. When Jamie’s back hit the cold tiled wall, Dani unbuttoned Jamie’s pants and slid her hand inside. 

“Fuck” Dani said smiling at Jamie as she felt that her underwear was soaked through. “Don’t worry, I have spares in my purse” Dani whispered into Jamie’s ear before slipping a finger inside her. 

Jamie moaned at the sensation and her hips started to meet Dani’s pace. Dani quickly added a second finger and quickened the pace. Within minutes, Jamie was clung onto Dani for support as she held in her moans and her legs began to shake underneath her. 

Dani and Jamie snuck out of the bathroom after cleaning themselves up and making sure they didn’t look like they had just had sex in the bathroom. They made their way to their table and sat down. 

Jamie reached for Dani’s hand and she held it under the table. Dani smiled at her sweetly and whispered to her, “I wanna kiss you so badly”. 

“Me too” Jamie whispered back, giving Dani’s hand a squeeze. 

Not long after, Judy came to sit across from the pair at the table. She gave them both a kind smile and they made small talk before the wedding started. 

The wedding reception was as boring as ever and Dani’s Mother promised to love and cherish a man who she had only been with for a few short months and who Dani had only got to know this past weekend, but her Mother seemed happy, and that’s all that mattered. Dani selfishly thought that if her Mother was preoccupied with her new husband, she wouldn’t need to ring her as much and would hopefully leave her alone for a while. 

The party after the wedding wasn’t any less boring but at least there was good music, and the room was dark so Dani and Jamie could be a little more affectionate without people noticing. They didn’t necessarily want to hide their relationship, but it was early days, and they didn’t really need any intruding questions from anyone. Plus, Dani felt a little weird being seen with someone else in her hometown after what had happened with Eddie. 

Judy stayed with the pair most of the night. They drank, chatted and even had a few dances together. 

Dani had missed Judy. She missed how easy everything was with her, how easy it was to open up to her. “Hey, just to let you know,” Dani said as the three of them stood in the back corner of the room together at the end of the night, “We’re going back to England tomorrow”. 

Judy knitted her eyebrows and looked at Jamie who just smiled at her. “You too?” she asked Jamie. 

“Yeah,” Jamie said, the smile on her face growing wide, “Finally getting out of here”. 

Judy wrapped her arms around Jamie and pulled her in tight. “Oh, I'm so glad you’re getting out of here, I know how much you’ve always wanted to”. 

“Please visit” Jamie said as a small tear rolled down her face. Jamie and Judy had grown pretty close this past year and Jamie knew she was going to miss her a lot. 

“Of course I will, sweetheart! I’ve never been to England and would love to go plus, I’d get to visit you two, can't say no to that, can I?” Judy said as she kissed Jamie on the cheek. “And you,” Judy said, making her way over to hug Dani, “You look after this one, make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble”. 

Dani laughed as she looked over to Jamie, “I will, don’t worry about her, she’ll be fine, I promise”. 

“So…” Judy said, standing back to look at the pair, “Is this it?”. 

Dani smiled softly and nodded, “I guess so, we have an early flight tomorrow”. 

“Well,” Judy said, “It was lovely to see you again Dani and Jamie, I’ll miss you so much but have a great time, make me proud”. 

Tears were rolling down Jamie face now. She hadn’t expected leaving Judy would be this hard, but Judy had become like a Mother to Jamie this past year and she didn’t want to lose that. Judy had given her more love and support than all of her foster families put together, but she knew that love wouldn’t stop, even if she did move to another continent. 

“Call me?” Judy said. Jamie just nodded as Judy pulled her into a tight hug. “Look after each other and give each other the love you both deserve, okay?” Judy said as she let go of Jamie and hugged Dani again. They both nodded and wiped the tears from their eyes. They waved goodbye to Judy and Dani went in search of her Mother. 

Dani hadn’t said goodbye when she left for England the first time, but she thought she should be polite, especially to her Mom’s new husband at least. The goodbye wasn’t heartfelt and there was no crying and Dani left the wedding and made her way to Jamie who was stood by the door waiting for her. “So,” Jamie said, “this is it”. 

“Yeah” Dani said as she took Jamie’s hand in hers, “Time to start our life together”.

The pair stumbled up the stairs and into Jamie’s apartment, their hands wondering and lips trying to kiss the other. Dani stumbled over a few boxes that were laying around and asked, “What are these for?”. 

“Oh, the stuff I'm gettin rid of, I’ll sort it out in the morning”. 

Dani didn’t ask any more questions and followed Jamie into her bedroom. Jamie pinned Dani against the door as she shut it behind them. Jamie had already bunched the dress up to Dani’s hips so she could run her hands along her thighs and hips. Their kisses were messy and hot due to their desire as well as the few glass of alcohol they had to help them through the wedding. “Please Jamie, I need you” Dani begged as Jamie was sucking on her neck. 

“Your wish is my command Poppins” Jamie said, picking Dani up and placing her down on the bed. 

Dani sat up and Jamie pulled her dress off and threw it on the floor. As soon as she did it, she grimaced and said, “Do ya have to return that?”. Dani shook her head and laughed. “Good, ya looked too good in it anyways”. 

Jamie slid Dani’s soaked underwear off her legs and quickly placed herself between them. “You too” Dani said gesturing to Jamie’s clothes. Jamie laughed and sat up, quickly removing most of her clothes. She had seen the excitement in Dani’s eyes when she took off her panties so she left them on so Dani could do it later. 

Dani suddenly shot up as Jamie was placing herself back between her legs. “What else do you have in this draw?” Dani asked as she opened up the draw Jamie had pulled the small vibrator out of the other night. 

Jamie smirked, “Why?”. Dani scanned the draw which was filled with numerous toys and other things Dani had no idea about. Most of the toys were for self-pleasure but her eyes landed on a modestly sized purple strap on. Dani picked it up and smirked as she looked at Jamie who was now wide-eyed. 

“Who did you buy this for?” Dani asked as she inspected it. 

Jamie stumbled with her words before finally saying, “I, erm, I got it for y’know, when I have, erm, guests”. 

“Guests?” Dani giggled, “You mean for one-night stands?”. 

Jamie blushed, “I have needs y’know”. 

Dani got on her knees and leaned over to kiss Jamie, “Yeah… I know”. 

It hurt a little that Jamie saw other women, but Dani knew about it, even when she was with Eddie. Jamie would have random one-night stands every now and then, but she never settled down with anyone which broke Dani’s heart a little. Jamie had never been in a relationship; always said she hadn’t found the right one yet but a part of her always knew that she was waiting for Dani. 

“You any good with it?” Dani said softly, her eyes dark with lust. 

“Had no complaints so far” Jamie said smirking and began putting the toy on. 

Dani watched her intently and she fastened the straps around her. Dani laid back on the bed and allowed Jamie to position herself between her legs. 

“If ya don’t like it, just say and I’ll stop, okay?” Jamie said as she lent forwards and kissed Dani softly. 

Dani nodded and her breath hitched in her throat as she felt the tip of the toy touch her stomach as Jamie was on top of her. Jamie placed a hand between Dani’s legs and began circling her clit whilst she nibbled and sucked on her breasts. Dani threw her head back and moaned as she felt Jamie’s fingers on her. 

Jamie sat up after a minute or so and rubbed the toy along Dani’s folds to get it wet enough to slide in comfortably. Dani was dripping wet now so Jamie knew it shouldn’t be a problem.

Dani reached out for Jamie’s hand and Jamie took it as she placed the toy at Dani’s entrance and pushed it in slowly. Dani squeezed Jamie’s hand and let out a small moan as the toy filled her up. Jamie didn’t push it all the way in, allowing Dani to adjust to the sensation. Jamie watched Dani carefully to make sure she was comfortable before she proceeded. She gently moved the toy in and out of Dani slowly a few times before starting at a slow pace. 

Jamie leant forward and placed her hands on either side of Dani’s body. Dani could see Jamie’s strong arms holding her up and she clung to one of them and her other arm wrapped around Jamie’s back. When Eddie was on top of her, Dani always felt so uncomfortable and so suffocated, but she didn’t feel any other that with Jamie. With Jamie on top of her, she felt alive, she felt safe and she felt incredibly turned on. 

Jamie had quickened her pace now and the toy was going all the way into Dani. Her nails scratched Jamie’s back and as she did, she could feel all Jamie’s muscles tense underneath her. Dani couldn’t help but let out loud moans as Jamie pushed the toy into her. Just the sight of Dani beneath her made Jamie moan and as the toy stimulated her clit, she could feel her own orgasm building up. 

“God, Jamie, keep going, please” Dani moaned as Jamie increased her pace. Dani had never felt this good before and she wanted it to last forever, but she knew it wouldn’t be long before she reached her peak. “Jamie, please, I'm so close”. 

Jamie kept going, her arms started to burn but she kept going to bring Dani to orgasm as well as in search of her own release. “Me too” Jamie said, “Just hold on, baby”. Jamie kept going, thrusting in and out of Dani as Dani met her thrusts and wrapped her legs around her hips. Jamie could feel Dani tightening around the toy and she knew she wasn’t going to last long. 

After a few more thrusts, Dani screamed Jamie’s name as her legs shook hard. Hearing Dani cum like that tipped Jamie over the edge and she came with Dani. They both collapsed and Jamie fell onto Dani. Every time Eddie would do that, Dani would tense and push him off a few seconds later but not with Jamie. Dani wanted to stay with Jamie like this forever. She rubbed Jamie’s back softly and kissed her head. Dani loved the feel of Jamie’s soft warm skin pressed against hers and the feeling of the toy still inside her. 

Jamie smiled as she looked up a Dani, her forehead had beads of sweat on it and her cheeks were flushed. “Enjoy that?” Jamie asked, already knowing the answer. 

“Yeah, a lot. Hope you’re bringing that to England with you” Dani said, her chest still heaving. 

Jamie laughed and she laid her head back on Dani’s chest. They laid there a little longer before Dani shivered a little with the cold air touching her warm bare skin. Jamie sat up and slipped the toy carefully out of Dani who groaned at the loss of contact. Dani got under the duvet cover first, quickly followed by Jamie who had taken the strap on off and placed it on the floor. 

“One more night” Jamie whispered as she kissed Dani’s ear lightly. 

They were wrapped up in the duvet with Dani’s back pressed into Jamie’s front and their arms and legs intertwined. “Are you going to miss Iowa?” Dani said, speaking softly as not to disturb the peace in the room. 

“Nah, not really. Might miss me apartment a little but there’s nothin a new apartment won't have”. 

“I called Hannah, the housekeeper at Bly, and she said you can stay with me. You can stay as long as you want until we find you an apartment. I know there was one available above the pub in town, could be nice?”. 

Jamie pulled Dani a little closer into her and kissed her neck, “Sounds good, I can’t wait, Poppins”. 

They drifted off to sleep together after a while of soft gentle kissing and talking about what their life would be like together. For the first time in her life, Jamie went to sleep feeling excited and optimistic about her future. 

Jamie woke up to a weight on top of her. As she opened her eyes, she was met with a naked Dani sat on top of her beaming. Jamie smiled softly up at her and took hold of her hands. “Good mornig” Dani said as she leant forward and kissed Jamie softly. 

“Good mornin to you too” Jamie said in her husky deep morning voice, “What a way to be greeted in the morning, hope this happens every day from now on”. 

“It just might” Dani said, leaning forward again and kissing Jamie’s lips, then her cheek, forehead, nose and her lips again. 

“Come on, we’ve got a big day ahead of us” Dani said pulling Jamie up out of bed. 

Jamie’s eyes scanned the room, and it was pretty bare now, only her suitcase on the floor in the corner with a few clothes on top of it for her to wear today. The rest the floor was littered with their clothes from last night which Dani was now picking up. 

They showered together then got dressed and began tidying Jamie’s apartment up. Jamie had done most of her packing yesterday so there wasn’t a lot to do expect throw away the boxes of things she didn’t need anymore. She had already donated some of the things she didn’t need and shipped two boxes of her things to Bly. The rest was just rubbish she had collected along the way. Judy had agreed to take in all her plants that she had collected over the years and promised to take good care of them. 

After they had both packed everything they needed, Dani drove them in her hire car to the airport. Jamie had got a little teary as she kissed her beloved truck goodbye and posted the key threw the door of the boy who had bought it from her. 

Jamie was sweating as she sat in the window seat of the plane with Dani next to her holding her hand tightly. Jamie had never flown before and she had underestimated her fear until she heard the engine roar. “Fuck Dani I don’t think I can do it” Jamie said as she looked out of the window at the plane heading towards the runway. 

“Hey,” Dani said, “Look at me”. Jamie did and Dani placed her free hand on Jamie’s cheek, “It’s going to be fine, you can do this, just focus on your breathing okay, just like you taught me?”. 

Jamie nodded and Dani ran through the breathing exercises that Jamie had learnt for her for when she had panic attacks. Jamie’s breathing slowed but her hand still gripped Dani’s tightly. The plane began making its way along the runway and Jamie turned to Dani, her eye’s wide with fear. “Fuck Dani what the fuck is happening? Why is it so loud? Fuck we’re gunna die”. Tears were flowing from Jamie’s eyes thick and fast now and Dani tried to wipe them all away, but it was no use. 

“Shh, Jamie it’s okay, were safe, it’s just the noise of the engine baby, it's okay, look at me”. Jamie did, her eyes still wide and teary. She didn’t care what the people around her thought, she was terrified. The plane lifted up and Jamie sobbed in her seat, unable to control her cries. 

Dani held her hand and rubbed her back and tried to calm her down. “We’re okay baby, it's all good, we’re just flying”. 

Once the plane had levelled off, Jamie’s cries slowed down, and her grip loosened a little on Dani’s hand. “Hey, it’s okay, it’ll be a lot smoother now okay baby? Nothing to worry about, I’m here” Dani said, rubbing Jamie’s shoulders and then bringing her body in to her. The arm rest got in the way a little and Dani pushed it up so Jamie could lean into her properly. “Thanks” Jamie whispered quietly into Dani’s chest. 

“No problem baby, it’s okay, you’ll be okay” Dani whispered against Jamie’s soft brown curls. 

“Sorry, I just, I don’t know, I was just so scared” Jamie said, a tear rolling down her now dried cheek. 

“There’s nothing to be sorry about Jamie, don’t apologise”. 

“I’m so glad you’re here, I couldn’t have done it on my own, probably would of got thrown off the plane” Jamie said, smiling up at Dani, her cheeks stained and red. 

“I’m glad I’m here too baby, now get some rest, yeah? I’ll be right here”. 

Jamie slept for the majority of the flight, her panic attack having drained what little energy she had in her so all she could do was sleep. Dani woke her up for her meal, but Jamie didn’t eat much of it before she fell back asleep on Dani’s shoulder. 

When the plane was finally ready to land, Dani gently woke Jamie up. “Hey baby, we’re landing in a few minutes” Dani whispered in Jamie’s ear and then kissed her on the temple. 

Jamie groggily sat up in her seat and Dani took her hand in hers and squeezed gently. “Is landing worse than taking off?” Jamie asked, her voice husky. 

“No, it's not, just feels weird on the stomach and a bit bumpy at the end, but I'm here, we’re going to be okay”. Jamie believed her, she had believed her before, but it didn’t make the panic any less real. 

As the plane hit the runway, Jamie squeezed Dani’s hand tightly as tears escaped her tightly shut eyes. As the plane came to a halt, Jamie was glad she would never have to get on a plane again. Regardless if she liked England or not, there was no way she was ever flying somewhere again. 

Owen was waiting at the airport for them and he quickly introduced himself to Jamie, making sure he followed Hannah’s rules of being kind and polite to whoever Dani was bringing home, sensing that this person was of great importance to Dani. Jamie liked Owen and hit it off with him straight away. The car journey to Bly was easy and calm and full of jokes and laughter which eased Jamie right away. 

Hannah was at the door with the children waiting to greet Dani. As soon as the car pulled into the driveway, Flora and Miles ran up to the car and could hardly wait until Dani got out of the car to greet her. 

Jamie smiled as she watched Dani with the children. She had always loved the way Dani was with kids and she knew she was going to love watching her relationship with these kids. 

Everyone’s eyes moved onto Jamie as she stepped out of the car and walked over to Dani’s side. Hannah walked quickly over to her and reached out her hand to her, “Hi, I’m Hannah, the housekeeper here” she said politely with a wide smile on her lips. 

“Jamie” Jamie stated, taking Hannah’s hand and shaking it. 

“Oh!” Dani said turning her attention to Jamie, “Everyone this is Jamie, my, erm… friend, from America, she’s moving to Bly, so she’ll be staying with us for a while until she finds her own apartment”. 

“Hello Jamie,” Flora said as she made her way over to Jamie and held out her hand, “My name is Flora, it is lovely to meet you”. 

“You too, kiddo” Jamie said shaking her hand, a little taken aback by how polite Flora was.

“You’re English” Flora stated then turned to Dani, “But Miss Clayton, you said Jamie was your friend from America”. 

Dani chuckled as she looked at Flora, “She is my friend from America, but she was born here, in England”. 

Flora thought about what Dani had said for a moment then nodded her head, “Okay”. 

Miles walked over to Jamie and bowed then held his hand out for her to take, “Miles” he said, “Pleasure to meet you, Jamie”. 

Jamie smiled awkwardly and took his hand and shook it firmly, trying to state her dominance in a way, “You too, kid”. 

“There’s some leftovers in the fridge if you want them, you must be starving” Owen said as he picked up their cases and walked into the manor. 

“So, what do you think?” Dani asked as she and Jamie stood in her bedroom. 

“S’nice” Jamie said, looking around. 

“I mean everything, the manor, the kids, England?” Dani said she walked over to Jamie.

“Manor is a little extravagant I have to admit, it’s not my cup of tea but it works. The kids, well they seem nice, a little too posh but who can blame them, they live here. And England, it seems nice, a little cold but yeah, it seems nice. I feel at home” Jamie said. 

Dani kissed her softly and pulled her into a hug. “I’m glad you like it so far. Almost can't believe you’re actually here. I’ve thought about you a lot in this room” Dani said softly. 

“And… what does that mean?” Jamie said chuckling. 

“Jamie!” Dani said, playfully hitting her arm, “I didn’t mean it like that! Well, I mean I have thought about you like that, here, but that’s not what I meant”. 

“I know, I know” Jamie said kissing Dani softly on the lips, “Can't believe I'm here too. And we’ll talk about what you used to think about me some other time, I’m knackered”. 

Dani laughed and threw Jamie a pair of her PJs to change into. 

Once they had showered and changed, they snuggled up into bed together. “So,” Jamie said, “This is the beginning”. 

“Beginning of what?” Dani said as she pulled Jamie closer into her. “Our life together” Jamie said, squeezing Dani’s hand that was resting on her stomach. 

“Yeah, suppose it is” Dani said giggling a little and kissing Jamie’s neck, “Suppose it is”.


End file.
